20 Questions
by words-with-dragons
Summary: ModernAU. Jinora thinks Kai is a no good teen who won't get anywhere. Kai thinks Jinora is a goody-two shoes who takes everything too seriously. But when they're partnered together for completing a year long assignment full of personal questions, everything will change. /for the readers of The Thief and The Airbender {now with bonus chapters} [Kai/Jinora]
1. 20 Questions

**20 Questions**

* * *

_Dedicated to the wonderful readers of "The Thief and the Airbender"_

* * *

If asked why a scowl was always on her face whenever Kai Fong was nearby, Jinora would've given a list of reasons. Some may call her petty, as one of those reasons had occurred six years ago, but she didn't care. You see, there were multiple reasons why she hated Kai Fong:

1\. He had broken her ex-best friend Lydia's heart the year prior, but that wasn't news to anyone. He was one of the most popular boys in school, and lots of girls had thrown themselves at him, Lydia being one of them. Even though Lydia had promptly stabbed her in the back a couple months after the breakup, Jinora's distaste for Kai's dating habits had never left.

2\. The stupid roar his motorcycle made when it pulled into the school parking lot, always five minutes into class.

3\. Oh yeah, he was always late and always disrupted class. To be honest, she preferred the days he skipped school all-together.

4\. The way he was so smug about everything and didn't seem to care about anything. The other girls fawned over how 'aloof' he was all the time. Jinora was sick of hearing it.

5\. The fact when she was eleven and he was twelve they had gotten into a fistfight on the playground over a game of soccer, and the detention Jinora had served was the one, tiny, infuriating blemish on her otherwise perfect school record.

6\. And, last but not least, the fact she couldn't say she wasn't the teeniest tiniest bit attracted to him. (It was because of the growth spurt he got over the summer, she just knew it!)

"Jinora, you okay?" her younger sister's voice broke her stupor. "Hello, earth to Jinora?"

"I heard you the first time Ikki," Jinora told her impatiently, her scowl returning as Kai Fong sauntered down the hallway, wearing ripped black jeans and his black leather jacket. A few girls giggled as he passed; Jinora rolled her eyes.

"You have your 'I-hate-Kai' face again," Ikki piped up.

Jinora sighed. "I'll see you at the end of the day, alright? I have to go to English."

And off to fourth period English she went in a huff of annoyance. God must have some sort of twisted humour, because by some stroke of fate, Kai Fong had ended up in every single one of her classes. She didn't think it could get any worse. She was wrong.

"Partners?" she spluttered to Ms. Sato after class was done. A year long assignment had been set, the class put in pairs. The assignment was to get to know someone you didn't know, by answering a list of 20 questions. "Ms. Sato, you-"

"It will be good for you," the young woman interrupted firmly. "You're one of my brightest students, Jinora. I know Kai may not be your favourite person, but trust me, there's more to him than meets the eye."

Yeah, like maybe another whole file of run-ins with the police. She knew for a fact Kai had been arrested at least once.

"Besides," Ms. Sato continued, "I think this assignment will benefit you greatly as well. There's much more to life than school, you know."

"Fine," Jinora gave in. "I'll give it my best shot. See you tomorrow Ms. Sato."

* * *

"Can you believe it Skoochy? I got paired with _Jinora Windson. _This project's gonna be a nightmare. She's gonna be such a nag." Kai shut his locker, wishing more than ever he had decided to skip school that morning. "And I'm pretty sure she hates me."

"She's not that bad," Skoochy said, "and besides, you know you need something to bump up your grades."

"I know, I know," Kai sighed, running a hand through his hair. "At least she'll be willing to work hard and not slack off. I gave her my email and number, anyhow." Still, the thought of answering 20 pretty personal questions with Jinora Windson was not pleasant. Questions about God, hopes and dreams. And family, and that was always a sore subject. And insecurities, boy would that be fun!

That night, after a ride on his bike around town to clear his mind, and ignoring his foster parents' he shut himself up in his room, getting onto his computer and logging on to his email. Sure enough, there was already an email from Jinora Windson.

_I thought we could try to do one question a week. I figure both of our schedules are pretty busy. _

**sure. **Kai typed back. **so, question one, what's your full name? **She must have been online at the time (and probably had completed half the day's homework) because her response came back very quickly.

_Jinora Agatha Windson. My mom's best friend's name was Agatha, but still, it's pretty bad I know. _Kai was surprised that it made him chuckle. Who knew Jinora Windson had even the tiniest bit of a sense of humour? _Tell anyone and I'll kill you. Anyway, yours?_

**kai fong. parents didn't bother giving me a middle name. **

She didn't reply; Kai figured that was the end of their extremely brief conversation, and was grateful for it. No other emails had come into his inbox, and Kai found himself looking curiously at her profile picture. It was of a bright blue arrow, and it looked familar, somehow. Then, he realized where he had seen it before. The teenager crossed his tiny bedroom and pulled open his closet; a couple of red ribbons were hung up, and an old arrest report was crumpled, stashed away in the corner. Near the back of the closet was an old, worn, marital arts uniform, the _Academy of Baguazhang_'s emblem stitched onto the right side of the chest: a bright blue arrow with faded letters spelling the school's name.

Huh, so Jinora had gone to the same martial arts school he had when he was around ten or eleven before leaving due to changing foster homes. Again. It made sense, he guessed. He heard Jinora's father, Councilman Tenzin, was extremely protective of his kids. Of course he would want them to be able to defend themselves. Still, it was weird to find a similarity between him and Jinora Windson, when he thought she was as opposite of him as anyone could be.

Well, this project was going to be interesting, to say the least.

* * *

"Hello...?"

"This is Jinora. I would've emailed but my internet's down." Jinora frowned - she had hoped to avoid talking to Kai as much as possible, but then a stupid storm just had to mess up her house's internet.

"Oh, okay... Should we just ask the questions like this to get it done, then?" Kai said, feeling awkward.

"So," Jinora said promptly, "when's your birthday?"

"April 6th."

"That's around my little brother's birthday - he's April 10th. I'm September 16th."

Kai quickly jotted down the date, which had just passed a couple of days ago. "Happy belated birthday then," he said feebly.

"Don't be too enthusiastic," Jinora said sarcastically. Kai half-smiled. Jinora really _did_ have a sense of humour.

"I try," he said. "So, until next week then?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Jinora ended the call. Kai put the phone back in its place, a twinge of disappointment running through him, which was ridiculous. Why on earth would he want to talk to Jinora Windson? Even if she wasn't quite as bad as he thought she would be. Not half bad at all.

* * *

_3\. What's your favourite colour?_

**brown. **Kai replied. It was an unusual colour, but he liked it. It reminded him of what little home and stability he had. And some of his best memories were making mud pies and getting very muddy in the process when he was kid.

_Huh._

**what d'you mean? **He felt a little defensive; brown was a perfectly good colour, after all, even if unconventional. Lots of people liked red or blue or purple.

_Nobody ever says brown. It's just interesting. Most of my family has brown eyes, myself included, but people don't really ever think of brown being a beautiful colour, you know? _

**i guess. what's yours anyhow?**

_Green. _

Three questions down, only seventeen more to go. The project was affecting Kai's life far less than he had expected. He went to school, was late, skipped sometimes. He and Skoochy played cards during first period. He filled his motorcycle up with gas.

There was one morning, however, as he walked into class, late as always, he saw Jinora roll her eyes. Her brown eyes. She was frowning, as if annoyed, but it wasn't the usual scowl. And well, he noticed that her eyes were sorta pretty. Just a little.

* * *

Fourth period was given to work on their project. Kai dragged himself over to where Jinora's desk was, plopping down in the seat beside her. A book bag that looked full to bursting hung on the back of her chair, her hair tied back in a bun. She looked up and almost - _almost - _smiled. "Late again?" she said, voice neutral.

Kai shrugged. "Like always," he said lightly. "Anyways," he clicked his pen and twirled it in his hands. "Favourite movie?"

"Aladdin," she answered. Kai dropped his pen; it hit the floor with a small _clink_. "Everything alright?" Her brow furrowed a little; it crossed Kai's mind that she looked almost - _almost _\- cute like that.

"Yeah." He hastily picked up his pen and saw that Jinora was trying not to smile. "I was just surprised. Aladdin's my favourite too, and I just thought... we're so different, you know?"

"Like the fact you don't seem to care about anything?" she said, feigning politeness.

Kai frowned at her, narrowing his eyes. "I _do _care about some things, I'm just not as uptight about school as you are." Hurt flashed across her face and Kai felt bad, but still found he couldn't regret what he had said. "And besides, if there's one thing I've learned, it's better not to care. The more you care the more you have to lose."

He gave her the cold shoulder treatment the rest of the period, and she read her book with a quiet sort of determination not to say another word. Ms. Sato walked by their desks, frowning at how silent they were both being, but didn't sense a word. Kai revoked every sort of nice thing he had ever said about Jinora Windson; how could she say he didn't care?

And why did he care so much about what she thought?

At home, Kai saw he had an email from her. Irritably, he clicked on it.

_I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said what I did. I was wrong._

His annoyance faded rapidly. **it's ok. so anyway, what's your favourite song from Aladdin? **He would be lying if he said he hadn't smiled when she had written back, _A Whole New World. _

* * *

"You have a little brother, right?"

This fourth period was undeniably better now that they were talking to each other. Jinora couldn't help but feel a little touched that for the past three days, Kai hadn't been late once. And the roar his motorcycle made wasn't that loud, really. She and Kai were using the team to go over question 4: what's your family like, of the 20 questions. He didn't seem eager to talk about his own family. Jinora wondered if he had a good home life or not; she had never really thought about it before, or tried to look beyond what she had seen of Kai before... Maybe Ms. Sato was right, maybe there was more to Kai than what met the eye...

"Two. And a younger sister. I love them dearly, but they drive me crazy sometimes. Or should that be most of the time?" she smiled, surprising even herself.

"Any aunts, uncles or cousins?" Kai said quickly. If Jinora hadn't grown up with Ikki, the rapid firing off of the question would have fazed her.

"An uncle and an aunt from my dad's side, but neither of them had kids. My mom's an only child. What about your family?"

"I'm, uh..." he trailed off, squirming in his seat, before he lowered his voice, "I'm a foster kid. Never knew my parents. I've been with the family I'm with now the longest out of any of the couples."

Jinora pursed her lips, silent.

"I don't want your pity," Kai said hurriedly. "I'm-"

"How were the other homes? Did - did all the couples treat you okay?"

Kai swallowed back the biting retort he had been about to deliver, taken aback. "Most of 'em did. But one couple... they were really neglectful. I had to steal, to get by. That's how I got arrested."

"Only one time?" Jinora said, and it took Kai a moment to realize she was teasing. "I would've thought you were on first name basis with the police."

Kai smiled. Jinora didn't give a damn about him being in foster care - she didn't even feel sorry for him. It was refreshing change from how most people had reacted (even Skoochy). "Oh I am," he said, playing along, "I just don't want anyone to feel bad that they'll never have a mugshot collection as great as mine."

Jinora laughed, a bright, clear sound, that Kai realized he wanted to hear again.

* * *

"What are my hobbies? Hmm... I did martial arts, as a kid you know. My dad sort of insisted on it, but I took to it really well. I still keep up with it, actually, even though I don't attend lessons. I went to the Academy of-"

"Baguazhang," Kai finished, smiling. "I recognized your email profile pic. I used to take lessons there when I was in fifth grade. Small world. And you love to read, I'm guessing?"

"You know me so well," Jinora rolled her eyes. "But I bet you didn't know I'm a black-belt." Kai raised his eyebrows, surprised. "Looks like I was right. I also really enjoy musical theatre, but I'm thinking of pursuing a career as an English teacher..." She glanced down at the list of the 20 questions. "Oops, looks like I just answered number 17 too." Kai checked it off his list, leaving a messy scrawl of _english teacher _next to it.

"I think you'd make a good teacher," Kai told her. Jinora went slightly pink. "You understand it way better than I do, anyway." The two were in the library, having decided to meet up after school that Friday.

"I - I could always help you with it, you know," she said quietly, suddenly shy.

"Uh, yeah, sure..." he stammered out. "That - that'd be nice."

Jinora gave him a small smile.

* * *

"Judging by your cross, I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that you believe in God," Kai said, taking the seat in the library next to him, making sure to keep his voice low. He couldn't believe they were already at #7 on the list. He was just glad she had agreed to help him with his English work though. As crazy as it sounded, he didn't mind her company. She wasn't half-bad at all... but that didn't mean he actually wanted to be her friend, or anything... right?

"And judging by your tone, I'm gonna talk a wild guess and say that you don't believe in God," Jinora replied. "Do you believe in anything? Like destiny?"

"I guess... but I do believe in soulmates." He couldn't believe he had just said that; if he had said that in front of his friends they would have flayed him alive, teasing him mercilessly for the rest of high school. Or maybe his life. "You know," he continued when Jinora didn't say anything, "that one person who's like your missing piece, your other half?" He mentally winced. He probably sounded so stupid. And he didn't want to sound stupid in front of Jinora. He didn't know how it had happened, but he actually cared what she thought of him.

"I know what you mean. I believe in soulmates too. And God. My family goes to Church every Sunday. I've always tried to treat religion as a bridge, not a wall, between myself and others, though." She smiled a little at him. "Looks like there's more to both of us than we initially thought," she added, voicing what he had been realizing. "And that we actually do have similarities."

Kai grinned. "Yeah," he said softly, "turns out we do."

You're not half-bad," she added.

Kai smirked, "Same to you."

"I'm so flattered."

He winked, causing her to giggle. "You should be."

* * *

"Okay, question #8 is a good one: if you could go back and change one decision you made, what would you change?" Jinora passed the phone to her other hand, stubbornly ignoring the way her heartbeat had picked up when the caller ID had said it was Kai.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Ikki said in a loud, sing-song voice. Jinora flushed and glowered at her sister; Ikki walked away merrily. Jinora was just grateful her father wasn't home. She had had boyfriends before, but was sure that Kai's reputation proceeded him in her father's eyes. And it wasn't like she wanted to be Kai's girlfriend. Or thought he was cute. Not at all.

(Damn that growth spurt.)

Besides, last Jinora had seen (and no she had not taken to staring across the hallway at Kai, not at all) Kai had been dating one of the school cheerleaders. Although that relationship surely wouldn't last long. The boy had more girlfriends in a month than dates Jinora had in her entire life.

"Sorry about my sister," she spoke into the phone.

Kai merely chuckled. "Don't worry about it. So, you go first?"

"Hmm... okay," Jinora finally decided, "it would probably be getting into that fistfight with you when we were kids. I hope you know that detention is the single one I've ever gotten, and it ruined my perfect record... Don't laugh!"

"I'm not," Kai laughed.

"At least try to make an effort," she said dryly. "And the other thing I would change is I wouldn't have been friends with Lydia Burnsby."

"Yeah, Lydia was an _interesting _girl," Kai said, the bitterness in his voice surprising her. "I dated her once, remember? Wish I didn't."

"God, Kai you didn't..." she lowered her voice. "You didn't lose your virginity with her or anything right?"

"_What_! No, no. Still a virgin, believe it or not," he said cheerily. "I'm not quite the player everyone makes me out for. I've only had two real girlfriends, and one of those was in kindergarten." Jinora snorted loudly. "What can I say, I was four and really liked the special 24 pack of crayons Cecilia Jenkins had. And she was cute, but that was a bonus."

"And all this time I thought you were a heartbreaker," Jinora teased. "So, why Lydia then?"

"I found out she spread rumours about our relationship, saying all this ridiculous stuff, and just about my 'criminal' record, so I broke up with her. She must've had a thing for rumours, 'cause she spread some about you, right?"

"Yeah," Jinora said quietly. "So - so you heard some of them?"

"Didn't believe any of them," Kai replied. Jinora smiled, a warm feeling spreading throughout her. "You were too much of a stick-in-the-mud."

"Thanks," she said, amused. "Keep saying things like that and I might have to remind you of how good of a left hook I have."

Kai laughed loudly. "Is that a threat?"

"Maybe."

* * *

Snow was falling thickly, and the library was warm and cozy and packed with students. "Hot chocolate?" Kai asked, looking over her shoulder. "I smuggled it in." He held up a little packet of it. There was a place you could make tea or coffee in the library, but not hot chocolate.

Jinora pulled out a small bag of marshmallows out of her bag. "I had a feeling you might. I swear Fong, you're a bad influence on me."

"And you're a good influence on me. Speaking of which," he quickly went down the list of the 20 questions, "while I'm making the delicious hot chocolate, you should start thinking about what you consider your good qualities to be."

"Well," Jinora started once he had gotten back, accepting the mug of hot cocoa, popping a couple of marshmallows into the warm liquid and firmly ignoring the way her fingers tingled after Kai's had brushed against them. "I'm driven, determined, smart, forgiving."

"Helpful and kind," Kai added. Jinora blushed. "I'm sure there's plenty more, but let me just get those down. Oh, and punctual." He made a quick bullet point list.

"You've been pretty punctual as of late," Jinora said. "Why the sudden change?"

"It was no secret you found me being late extremely annoying. And I sorta wanted to prove a point to everyone that I did care. You'd be amazed at how much it's already bumped up my grades. Thanks for that, by the way." He beamed at her before taking a sip of hot chocolate, then wincing as it burned his throat. "Bad idea."

"What are your good qualities?" Jinora asked.

"I'm ruggedly handsome, for one." Kai waggled his eyebrows at her; Jinora laughed loudly and then quieted down after the librarian glowered at her. She and Kai dissolved into silent giggles. "I'm street smart, brave I guess."

"Funny," Jinora said. "And you have a knack for surprising people. Surprising me, anyway."

"You're pretty surprising yourself."

They had properly finished the question, and Jinora had seen her other friends were here. But the thought of joining them and not staying with Kai didn't even cross her mind as the afternoon went on.

* * *

_'What do you consider are flaws in yourself?'_

Kai stared long and hard as Jinora's email, before he finally typed back: **im reckless, i guess. impulsive. insecure. **It felt weird putting that out there; he had never been so vulnerable, before. He doubted he could have answered this question though, face-to-face, and figured Jinora probably felt the same, which was why she had decided to do it over email. **what about you? **It felt strangely like a weight had been taken off his chest, however.

_I'm uptight. I put a lot of pressure on myself. I can let my insecurities get the better of me definitely, and my siblings try my patience like no one else... Do you feel lighter, somehow?_

**yeah, i do.**

The next time they were face to face, in fourth period English the next day, they just started laughing. Ms. Sato beamed at them when she passed their desks.

* * *

"My least favourite memory is easy; I cried all day when I turned 11 and didn't get my Hogwarts letter," Jinora said. Kai gave her a look of disbelief, snorting. "What's yours?"

"Getting arrested," Kai said simply. It sounded as if he wanted to say something more, or at least had more on his mind, but when he didn't say anything, Jinora let it drop. "My favourite is learning that your middle name is Agatha."

"My youngest brother, Rohan, his birth. It felt like everything was perfect, you know?"

Seeing her next to him, their elbows brushing, the low light of the library lamps making her eyes turn different shades of brown, Kai thought he did know.

* * *

Jinora ran to pick the phone, "Hello Kai," she said hurriedly. An involuntary smile came onto her face. "Here about the 20 questions?"

"That," he replied, "and I wanted to hear your voice. Two days is an awfully long period of time."

Jinora went pink. "Shush you. Anyway," she glanced down at her English notes, "we're on question #12. Who has had the most influence on you?"

"My old social worker, her name was Korra. She always did whatever she could to help me, and convinced the police to not have greater charges on me. One of her friends is a detective. I'm still in touch with her today; she really wants to meet you."

"You told her about me?"

"Course I did. I don't know how, but you sort've become my best friend."

"It's a good thing then, because you've probably had the most influence on me in some ways." Was it hot in here or was it just her? She focused on watching the snow fall outside her kitchen window. "You taught me to give people second chances. And to be less judgmental. And have more fun. I can't always be a stick-in-the-mud right?"

"Ah, but you're my stick-in-the-mud."

"That's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me."

"You know it babe."

Jinora blushed furiously. He just called her _babe. _And strangely enough, she liked it. This boy was weird. She was weird. The way he made her feel was weird. But she liked it; it was a good weird. "I'll start calling you Romeo then."

"Ew, no. Fine, I won't call you babe again. Is Jinorakins or Jinjin out of the question too?"

"How much thought have you put into this?"

"I have a surprising amount of free time, b- Jinora."

* * *

Kai refused to look her in the eyes. Jinora would have emailed, but also thought that they were at a stage in their friendship where they could talk about something like this, face-to-face. She knew it was going to be a tough question though, and an extremely vulnerable one too: what are your greatest fears? She opened her mouth, expecting to have to prompt Kai to answer by answering herself, but then he spoke. "It's not being wanted, I guess."

The girl was startled to see his eyes were unusually bright, and he let out a shaky breath. "I've never told anyone this before, but... My parents dropped me off in foster care. Most of the kids were there because their parents had died, or knew their parents couldn't take care of them properly. But mine..." Kai looked up at her, tears welling up in his green eyes. "Mine just didn't want me. And I hate feeling like I'm not wanted, I hate it."

Jinora considered putting a hand on his shoulder, but somehow, that didn't seem like enough. Instead, hesitantly, she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. The two were holed up in the park, full of laughing kids having a snowball fight. They had wanted to tackle this question somewhere private, and there was no way she was bringing Kai to her house; her siblings would go overboard and her father would have a heart attack if he caught sight of Kai's piercings.

The teenager trembled in her arms slightly, as slowly, he hugged her back. His arms were warm, and strong. "I'm scared of not being good enough," she whispered in his ear. "I'm worried of disappointing my parents, but most importantly, myself." She tightened her grip around him. "You're wanted, Kai. I'm glad you're my friend. My best friend."

"You're the smartest person I know," Kai said, his sadness fading. He even cracked a smile. "You're going to do amazing things. Partially because of my constant support, 'cause I'm the greatest best friend ever."

Jinora laughed, giving him a fond look. "Don't forget how modest you are." She looked around the park, the air crisp and bright, the sky a pale gray. "What do you say to getting out of the cold?"

* * *

Kai looked at Jinora, smirking. They rounded the corner of the street and into a cafe, eager to get out of the sudden onslaught of rain the day had decided to provide. The snow they had gotten over Christmas break needed to be melted somehow, after all. "You would so choose world peace, wouldn't you?" he said at last. "It's so cliche."

"It's a perfectly thing to wish for," Jinora said indignantly, bowing her head in thanks when Kai opened the door for her.

"But one wish for anything in the entire world? You make the rest of us look bad!" He followed her inside the cafe, the bell above their heads ringing. Christmas lights twinkled, not yet having been taken down from Christmas.

"Way too easy," Jinora replied, and then broke down grinning. "So, to answer question #14, if you could have one wish, what would it be?"

Kai was silent for a while before he finally said, "To be happy. You can help with that you know, by sticking around."

Jinora flushed and leaned up and pecked him on the cheek. Kai turned red, his face burning, but Jinora had already turned to the menu to see what she wanted to order.

* * *

"Mottos? They expect everyone to have a life-motto?"

"Apparently so. Besides, I have one."

"Of course you do," Kai said, resting his head on top of hers. They were back in the library, not wanting to be in the park with all the lovey-dovey couples milling around. Seeing as they were both single (Kai hadn't dated any girls since November) they had both come to the conclusion that they would spend Valentine's Day in each other's company, getting to the end of their 20 questions project. Only five questions remained.

"Mine is 'where's there's a will, there's a way'. Would you mind not leaning on me, by the way? You _do _have a chair, after all." That, and she thought her heart would explode if his chest stayed pressed up against her back, his arms brushing gently against hers, for another second.

Kai shifted and took the seat beside her. Jinora tried to ignore the disappointment threatening to settle in her stomach. "I've figured out my motto," Kai said after a few moments of silence. "'Fall down seven, stand up eight'. It's an old proverb."

Kai's phone beeped. He gave Jinora an apologetic smile and checked it; he had a text from Skoochy. _How's your date with Jinora going? _

**its not a date **Kai texted back. As he turned his phone off, and turned back to Jinora, he couldn't help wishing that it was one.

* * *

"Seriously, you want to ride on my bike?" Kai arched an eyebrow at her.

"I've always wanted to ride a motorcycle. And get a tattoo," Jinora hummed, snatching his helmet out from under his arm, holding it against her chest. "Come on, one ride."

"Won't your dad kill you? And just because one of the things I want to do is skydive doesn't mean I'm going to jump off a plane in a parachute. Or buy a dog."

"Well, yes. But what he doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides, if he does find out, he'll blame you for it." They were standing in the doorway of Kai's garage, her having asked to come over. Nervously, Kai had said yes; he had never had her over at his house before. His foster parents greeted her nicely, and then they had gone to the garage, Jinora saying she had a request. But Kai had never thought that the request would be _this_!

"By which you mean you're totally throwing me under the bus," Kai said.

"Bingo. So, we going or not?" Kai frowned at her. "_Please _Kai."

His resolve was gone faster than he could blink. "One ride."

"Only need one to cross it off my bucket list," she said, and then pouted when he stole his helmet back. The teenager picked up another helmet and tossed it to her; Jinora caught it and pulled it over her head.

Kai got onto the bike with ease, and then Jinora climbed on after him. She wrapped her arms around his torso tightly, jittery with nerves, her face burning. "Ready?" Kai asked.

"Ready."

It was one of the best moments of her life; it was _exhilarating. _The wind chilled her to the bone, but in the best way possible. They zoomed down streets, the faster they went, the faster her heartbeat. The rush of adrenaline stole the air from her lungs, all the while, pressed up against Kai. (Damn that growth spurt, and his hair, and eyes.) It seemed to end all too soon, after a twice over around town they pulled back into the garage, their helmets with a little crown of snow.

"You liked it?" he asked, looking at her with anticipation. He got off one side of the bike, pulling off his helmet and leaning towards her, one hand on the bike's seat, the vehicle between them.

"I loved it!" She leaned forwards too, both of them grinning at each other. It took a few seconds of mutual staring for them to realize just how close their faces were; Jinora looked away, bashful, her heart pounding.

Okay, maybe she was _really _attracted to him.

* * *

**merry christmas.**

_You too. Any plans for Boxing Day?_

**i was hoping to see you, actually**

_We're having a family dinner but I should be able to see you during the day. We have a question to get through, right?_

**yeah. what you wanna do when you're older. i know you wanna be an english teacher. im thinking of being a social worker. i wanna do what korra did for me, you know?**

_Oh, thanks for telling me... can we still meet up though?_

**of course. i've missed you**

* * *

_18\. What would you do if you won the lottery?_

Without really planning it, the garage had become their official hangout spot. It was quiet, and nobody bothered them there. And it meant Jinora managed to convince Kai to take her on more motorcycle rides, which got better every time. The two were leaning up against a workbench, bouncing a ball. Kai bounced a ball against the wall; when it bounced back Jinora caught it and then hit it against the wall for him to catch.

"So," Kai held the ball in his hand for a moment longer to check the list of questions before throwing the ball again, "#18: what would you do if you won the lottery?"

"Get my own motorcycle," Jinora said immediately. "Donate most of it to charity. Use it to pay for university. Buy you as many dogs as you wanted." She tossed the ball back to him. "What about you?"

"Keep you from getting your own motorcycle," he teased. "Donate a lot to foster care and university. And since you're getting me the dogs I don't need to buy any of my own."

She laughed. "That doesn't mean I'm going to help you take care of them, though."

* * *

Jinora didn't know how the second to last question, #19: do you believe in true love, had come up while she and Kai had been watching Aladdin in his garage. Maybe it was because of how Jasmine and Aladdin fell in love. Even after all these years, the movie was still as good as it had been as a child, and convinced that the carpet in her living room could fly too.

"I think I do, since I believe in soulmates," Kai added after asking her. The credits of the movie rolled down the tiny TV's screen.

Jinora looked at him warmly, affection for him threatening to overspill. "I doubted it for a while... but, I'm starting to."

* * *

They had just gotten back from a motorcycle ride; Kai's helmet had left his hair windswept and messier than ever. It was the first time they had gotten to hang out after March Break, and Jinora had no idea how much she could miss someone - she and her family had been vacationing in Florida with her Aunt Kya. "One question left," Kai said cheerfully. God, she had missed his smile, and his voice. Had it really only been seven days apart? "#20: what is the one thing you want more than anything else in the world right now?" He kept his eyes on the sheet, taking a step back and bumping into her, an apology already on his lips, but it died in his throat when he saw how close they were to each other, merely nose-to-nose.

"You," she murmured, his breath hot against her lips. Jinora leaned in, kissing him hard, running a hand through his hair. She pressed him up against the wall; one of his arms wrapped around her waist. His other hand threaded his fingers through the hair that fell in front of her face. Panting, she pulled away, and they grinned up at each other giddily.

"Who ever thought we'd have so many similarities," Kai smiled, raising an eyebrow playfully.

"Just kiss me again," Jinora requested, and Kai was happy to oblige.

* * *

If asked why a smile was always on her face whenever Kai Fong was nearby, Jinora would've given a list of reasons. Some may call her foolish, as one of those reasons had occurred six years ago, but she didn't care. You see, there were multiple reasons why she loved Kai Fong:

1\. They had shared history that made them both laugh and cry, in a way that no one else understood

2\. The wonderful roar when his motorcycle pulled into the school parking lot, always five minutes ahead of class, often with her seated behind him.

3\. The way he made a point to see her in between her classes. Even if she was late once or twice, because most of the time one kiss wasn't enough, was totally worth the tardy

4\. The way he cared so much about her and was always doing little acts of kindness for her. The other girls scowled and muttered angrily over how much he showed he loved her; Jinora loved hearing it.

5\. The fact when she was eleven and he was twelve they had gotten into a fistfight on the playground over a game of soccer, and the detention Jinora had served was the one, tiny, blemish on her otherwise perfect school record, and it was a story that never failed to make them laugh

6\. And, last but not least, the fact she was extremely attracted to him because of that damn growth spurt.

"Jinora, you okay?" her younger sister's voice broke her stupor. "Hello, earth to Jinora?"

"I heard you the first time Ikki," Jinora told her, her large smile returning as Kai Fong sauntered down the hallway, wearing ripped black jeans and his black leather jacket. A few girls giggled as he passed; Jinora rolled her eyes, grinning as he spotted her and started to make his way over to her.

"You have your 'I-love-Kai' face again," Ikki piped up.

Jinora ignored her, and wrapped her arms around Kai once he had reached her. She leaned in for a long kiss that made Ikki "Ew!" loudly and the younger girl walked off. "If we keep kissing," Kai said, after breaking apart for air, "we're gonna be late for English."

"I don't think Ms. Sato will mind too much," Jinora replied, kissing him again. They were late for English.

Ms. Sato gave them an 'A' on their project's presentation.

* * *

**A/N: The longest oneshot I have ever written, finally completed. This, my lovely readers, is for all of you. Thank you so so much for getting "The thief and the airbender" to a mind-whopping 288 plus reviews! I appreciate all of your feedback so much!**

**The other oneshots on the poll shall be posted within due time. I hope you all enjoyed this. :)**

**Love you guys _a lot_! :) Lemme know what you thought of this below! **


	2. Bonus Chapter: 20 Answers

20 Questions – Bonus Chapter:

20 Answers

* * *

If asked why Jinora felt nervous in the passenger seat of her boyfriend's car with the two of them looking at her parents' house, she would've given a list of reasons. Some may call her foolish, as a few reasons were completely illogical, but she didn't care. You see, there were many reasons why she was nervous to introduce her boyfriend Kai Fong to her parents:

#1) He had multiple piercings and a tattoo. Her father, Tenzin, was a strict man, and Jinora knew that Kai's 'bad boy' reputation would proceed him in her father's eyes. Even if Kai wasn't actually much of a bad boy - he was actually such a big dork Jinora couldn't believe it. But he was _her _dork.

#2) Kai rode a motorcycle, and while Jinora loved riding on it with him, she knew her father would absolutely _flip, _declaring the bike was too dangerous. That's why they had chosen not to take the bike. Luckily, Kai's foster parents had an old foster child named Bolin who adored Kai, and was willing to let them borrow his car.

#3) Jinora's siblings, Ikki and Meelo, were absolutely vicious with the way they prattled off questions. Jinora would have to do her best to keep Kai from being eaten alive.

#4) And well, what if her family didn't like him? It would cause a rift and that was the last thing Jinora wanted. She cared a lot about him, but she also loved her family.

"It'll be okay babe," Kai told her, as the car slowed to a stop in the driveway. She stole a glance at him; he looked as nervous as she felt, his fingers constantly drumming on the rim of the steering wheel.

Jinora took a deep breath. "I know," she said, prying his fingers off the wheel and lacing them through her own. "Just..." she gestured with her other hand, searching for the right word. "Nervous," she settled with.

Kai gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Imagine how I feel," Kai joked, cracking a smile. Jinora smiled feebly in return. "We'll be fine babe."

With a sharp inhale, Jinora opened the car door, stepping out into the mid-afternoon air and shutting the door behind her. Kai got out of the car, and with a click of his keys the doors were locked. He turned towards her. "Ready?" Jinora asked.

He shrugged. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Jinora figured that was a good enough answer, and holding hands they headed into the house.

* * *

All in all, things went pretty well. Or, at the very least, Jinora hoped they could laugh about it one day, and it felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

Her father, Councilman Tenzin, had reacted pretty much the way she had expected: spluttering and red in the face, eyebrows slanted in anger. Her mother Pema had been gracious, welcoming, quickly and quietly calming her husband. Ikki and Meelo had fired off about a hundred questions a minute; Jinora had done her best to deflect them. Little Rohan, only six years old, had been eager to shown Kai his favourite trucks and cars. Even though Kai didn't have any younger siblings, being the last foster kid of his home, Jinora was impressed at how well he had handled it, showing genuine interest in her youngest brother's toys. She was sure that had helped her father deal with her 'hooligan of a boyfriend.'

In any case, she and Kai's relationship had continued on without any real bumps.

The end of grade eleven was nearing the corner - grade twelve, their final year, would be coming all too soon. For now, Jinora was just content to enjoy the summer. She had even managed to score working at a library, which was a job she was enjoying immensely. She loved her days off too though. It was warm and air buzzed with cicadas, the sun filtering in through the leaves of the tree she and Kai were curled up under.

"Decided what university you're going to yet?" Kai asked.

Jinora fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist. "I'm considering a couple, but I think one option is definitely Republic City University. That's where my favourite author, Hope Taylor went, but it has a lot of good opportunities for me. You?"

Kai hummed in the back of his throat. "Not sure," he said finally. "I'm sure I'll figure it out." There was a buzz from his phone and he looked at it. "Hmm..."

"What is it?" Jinora inquired, rolling over onto her side, half propping herself up with her elbows.

"Korra. She's demanding to meet you. And her - my, our, friend, Bolin..." Kai fidgeted nervously with the trim of his t-shirt. It struck Jinora that Korra, by all means, was Kai's family, or part of it anyway. He had met her family, and now he was trying to ask her to meet his. She took his jittery hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I'd love to meet her," Jinora said quietly. "And anyone else you want to invite. How about lunch, sometime this week? Maybe Saturday, because we'll be off work?"

Slowly, Kai grinned at her and she can't help but grin back. "Yeah," he said happily, pecking her quickly on the lips. "Yeah, that'll work."

* * *

"So _you're _the girl Kai can't stop going on about," a pale young man with black hair and green eyes said jovially, scooping Kai up in a big hug and ruffling his hair. Kai straightened his leather jacket.

"Jinora, this is Bolin." Kai said, grinning from ear to ear. "Bolin, this is Jinora, my girlfriend."

"She's as pretty as you'd said," a voice piped up. A muscular darker skinned woman with short brown hair and bright blue eyes smiled warmly at her. "Or actually, more so. Kid didn't do you justice. I'm Korra, nice to meet you." They shook hands. "Kai's told us a lot about you."

Kai grabbed Jinora's hand and gave it a squeeze. _All good things, _he reassured her.

"And you're Kai's family," Jinora said, and suddenly she felt worried she had overstepped a line, crossed a boundary she wasn't supposed to, but then Korra and Bolin both laughed loudly and Kai had such a happy, content look on his face the worry vanished instantly.

"Yeah, the little bugger's stuck with us!" Korra pulled Kai into a headlock, giving him a noogie. Kai wormed his way out of her grip, only to be embraced tightly by Bolin again.

Scowling, Kai got out of that too and tried to fix his hair. Jinora reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. "I can't have a pouty boyfriend," she teased him. Kai stuck his tongue out at her.

"I can't having a nagging girlfriend," he shot back. Jinora chuckled softly. Kai slung his arm around her waist, pulling her closer so they even bumped hips, with her pressed against his side. He was so warm, Jinora felt a sense of comfort wash over her. All of her previous nerves of meeting Kai's family were completely gone now. "So, onto lunch?"

"Only if we're buying," Bolin said. "C'mon lil' bro, and lil' bro's girl, you're in for a treat."

Grinning, Jinora followed Bolin and Korra, who said they would be meeting a man named Mako at the restaurant, and found herself thinking that Kai's family, although unconventional, was a great one.

* * *

_Buzz!_

Jinora woke up in her dark room, groggily trying to locate the source of the noise. It was her phone, and from the screen's picture, it was a text from Kai. She cast a bleary look at the phone's clock - 12:01 AM. Why was he texting her? At least it was the weekend. With a groan she shifted into a sitting position on her bed, the covers creating a sort of tent over her knees, and accepted the text.

**happy bday babe**

Jinora shook her head, chuckling to herself. He waited until it was officially September 16th to wish her a happy birthday, even if it was technically only a minute into the day. Her boyfriend could be such a dork sometimes. _Thanks. Did you stay up for this?_

**nah i set an alarm. im afraid i love sleep a lil bit more than i love you babe**

_I'm flattered._

**you should be. i have something special planned.  
you'll LOVE IT :)**

_Alright then. I'm having a birthday dinner with my family tonight at 6, though._

**already took it into account. i asked your mom if you were doing anything special. i'll be over at ten ok?**

_Okay._

It was harder to fall asleep afterwards, excitement building up in her stomach, but somehow Jinora managed it. She was up bright and early at 8:00 to shower and fix her hair. Then, she had the issue of figuring out what to wear. She wanted to look nice of course (even though Kai insisted she was beautiful even in her ugliest pair of sweatpants) and what if it was something fancy? And what if it wasn't somewhere fancy, she didn't want to overdress?

"Off to see Kai?" Ikki's head poked into her room, smirking. Articles of clothing were spread over Jinora's bed, the older girl still indecisive. "Happy birthday, by the way," Ikki added, coming into her room and plopping down on the bed too. "Where're you going?"

"I'm not sure," Jinora admitted. Usually, she would've been annoyed by Ikki coming into her room uninvited, but maybe her sister could help her. "It's a surprise. I don't know what to wear. Any ideas?"

"Watch the master at work," Ikki said proudly, stretching her hands and flexing her shoulders. Then, the young teen went into Jinora's closet and pulled out a pretty light blue blouse, a pair of comfy jeans from Jinora's bed, and black flats. To top it all off, she handed Jinora a cozy, yet stylish, creamy white sweater. "Here," Ikki shoved the clothes at her sister. "Consider this your birthday present."

The outfit was perfect. "Ikki, you're a lifesaver."

"Tell me something I don't know."

Jinora rolled her eyes but was grinning anyway. Ikki made her way to the door.

"Breakfast is waiting for you downstairs. Mom made your favourite."

Content in what she had chosen to wear, excited for her date with Kai and with her stomach grumbling for the blueberry pancakes waiting for her downstairs, Jinora walked out of her bedroom and down the stairs with a huge smile on her face.

"Big plans today with Kai hmm?" Pema smiled, a knowing look her eye. Jinora nodded, digging into her pancakes. She could remember how they had celebrated Kai's birthday together, on April 6th, after being together for three weeks. Her present had been a new seat for his bike, as the old one had started to tear at the seams, and she knew he always liked to keep his bike in the best condition possible.

"Apparently," Jinora replied. "He's refused to tell me what it is. A surprise of some kind."

"Well have fun sweetie," Pema kissed the top of her daughter's head. "And be safe."

"I will Mom," Jinora promised. There was a knock at the door. "That must be him. Bye mom, bye Ikki, love you!" Grabbing her book bag, Jinora pulled open the door. Standing there with a lopsided smile and his hand in his pockets was her boyfriend.

"Ready babe?" Kai asked with a grin, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. Jinora took the extra motorcycle helmet out from under his arm.

She nodded. "So," she said as they got onto the bike, pulling on her helmet, "can you tell me where we're going?"

"Nope," Kai replied, popping the 'p'. Jinora tightened her grip around his torso as the bike swung onto the street. As time had gone on, Jinora's love for motorcycle rides had only grown, so she was slightly disappointed when the ride ended so early, and Kai parked the bike in the driveway of one of her favourite book stores. As much as she loved shopping for books, Jinora wondered if there was something more to it... It didn't seem like a big enough surprise, almost.

"There's someone I think you'll want to meet," Kai said happily, opening the door of the book store for her. Giving him a perplexed look, Jinora walked into the door. And then let out a gasp.

Standing in front of her was a young woman with short, curly blonde hair and brown eyes. There was a pen clutched in her hand and big smile on her face; it was Jinora's favourite author, Hope Taylor. She was here. Right now.

"Oh my god," Jinora muttered. "_Oh. My. God._" Her eyes flitted to Kai and then to Sheila and then back and forth again. Kai hovered nearby, ready to catch her if it looked like Jinora was going to faint. "Ms. Taylor, it's so - I've always wanted to meet you - you're my favourite author - I -" Tears welled up in Jinora's eyes as she shook the author's hand. "It's an honour to meet you Ms. Taylor! Can - can I have your autograph...?" Jinora rummaged in her bag for a slip of paper, when Kai handed her one.

Jinora was practically bouncing in the balls of her feet, barely able to contain her giddiness as Sheila Taylor signed the piece of paper. Unfortunately, Hope couldn't stay long, only for twenty minutes or so, but Jinora couldn't care less.

Once the author had left with a final farewell to Jinora and Kai, the girl turned to her boyfriend and threw her arms around him. "How did you manage-?" she asked incredulously.

"My foster mom went to school with her and pulled a few strings," he shrugged, grinning. The look on Jinora's face was so worth doing the extra chores around home for the next six months. All thoughts of chores were completely wiped from his mind when Jinora pulled him down into a long, hard kiss, not unlike the first one they had ever shared.

"Thank you Kai," she whispered against his mouth. They swayed on the spot, Kai's arm curling tighter around her, pressing her against him.

"Anytime Jinora," he said happily, kissing her again, grinning, and the grin didn't leave his face for the next couple of weeks as Jinora's meeting with Hope Taylor was all she wanted to talk about with anyone.

* * *

"You know," Kai said slyly, the last day before winter break at school, his arm wrapped around his girlfriend's waist, "I think my favourite holiday tradition has to be kissing under the mistletoe."

"Oh really?" Jinora smirked, raising an eyebrow at him. "I wonder why."

Kai pulled out a tiny plastic plant with a few red barriers from his pocket and held it over their heads. "I'll let you take a guess."

"Not until you tell me what you want for Christmas," she bargained, snatching the plant out of his hands. Kai pouted.

"There's nothing I want," he insisted. She gave him a doubtful look. "Really! Although I wouldn't mind getting the berries back; I spent 30 cents on that thing."

Jinora grinned, buttoning up her coat. "Only if you can catch me." She bolted out the door, out into the snow.

Laughing, Kai followed. He was thankful that their last period of the day was a spare this weekend, and that he was pretty good at making snowballs. The icy projectile soared through the air and hit Jinora square in the back.

Cheeks flushed, she whirled around, snow getting tangled up in her hair, giggling. "Kai!" He wrapped his arms around her and they fell down into the snow together, neither caring that their pants were getting completely soaked in the process.

Jinora wiggled out of his arms, spreading out her arms to make a snow angel. With the snow above her head, Kai thought she looked a lot like a real angel. He reached over and stole her red hat, jamming it over his own head.

"Hey!" she protested through giggles. He stuck his tongue out at her playfully.

"Trade for the berries?" he offered, rolling onto his side to look at her.

"Fine," she said and tossed him the plastic plant. He handed her back her hat, kissing her on her rosy red nose in the process.

"You know why I don't want anything for Christmas?" he asked her. Jinora looked at him, her brows furrowing; she looked especially cute when she did that. "I already have you."

Touched, Jinora lightly swatted his arm. "That was so sappy."

"Admit babe, your heart melted a little," he teased, getting to his feet and brushing snow off his clothes. His wet pants were clinging to his freezing legs. He held out a hand and helped pull her up.

"Alright, it did," she confessed, grinning, pecking him on the cheek. "I'm still getting you an actual present though. I'll come over on Boxing Day, okay?"

"Sounds good to me babe," he said, grinning. "Although how I'm going to live without you for a week is beyond me."

Jinora's expression fell a little, but then her smile resumed its usual brightness. "Tell you what, let's go to lunch this weekend, at that little café."

"Aah, much better," Kai said, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Her smile grew.

Jinora took his gloved hand in her own. "Now let's get home before we freeze."

* * *

"Kai... I have something to tell you." Jinora's tone was surprisingly solemn considering they were sitting in a cozy coffee shop the first weekend after school started up again. Kai's eyebrows knit together, looking up at Jinora, who was wringing her hands together.

"Okay," Kai said slowly, and watched her sit down next to him. What could be so bad she was this nervous and sad? Oh god... "You're not breaking up with me are you?" he cried, panicked.

"No, no!" Jinora said hurriedly. "No, don't worry. It's just, you decided you'd be going to Republic City University, right? And over Christmas break I decided where I would go, and I've been accepted. I'm going to Ba Sing Se."

It took a few short seconds for that to register in Kai's mind. "That's really far away," he said. Jinora sighed. "But I think it's the right choice. It has an awesome teacher and English program, right? It's a great opportunity for you. I'm glad you're taking it."

Jinora sighed again. What had she done to deserve such an amazing boyfriend? "It is... but the chances of high school relationships lasting through different colleges... The odds aren't good, Kai."

"Life is a lot more than math," Kai reminded her. "Thank God or I'd be flunking everything." He had hoped to make her smile, but to no avail.

"I'm serious Kai."

"So am I. We have to at least give it a shot. Besides even if 19 in 20 don't make it or whatever, that doesn't mean we can't be the 1 in 20 that makes it." He kissed her gently, their foreheads touching. "We'll find a way, okay, we at least have to try. You're not getting rid of me that easy."

Finally, Jinora gave him a small smile. "Okay," she said gently, squeezing his hand.

Kai grinned at her. "Just accept it babe, I'm gonna be around to annoy you for a long time."

* * *

Everything was a blur as Kai drove to the hospital, his head spinning. Pema's phone call had been brief - understandably so, since her daughter had just gotten into a car accident - Kai had fallen off of his bed when he had heard, hitting his head. The pain of his head had decreased to a dull throb, or maybe that was just because the rest of his senses were in overload - his heart was pounding so hard in his throat he felt like he could barely breathe.

He pulled up at the hospital, seeing the Windson's family car there, moonlight glinting off its headlights. He fumbled with opening the door of Bolin's car (the young man had been staying overnight and with the horrible weather, had refused to let Kai go off on his bike) and stumbled onto the pavement. The night was chilly, winter holding onto the bitter end of February, with light flurries of snow whirling by.

_Jinora's going to be okay, _he told himself, his feet steering him to the hospital doors, as if on autopilot. _She'll be okay, right? She has to be okay._

The clerk at the desk gave him a sympathetic look as he made his way over. "I'm Kai Fong, I'm here to see a Jinora Windson," he said breathlessly, his mind reeling.

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait with her family in the waiting room, sir. They're outside room 302, off to your left."

When Pema saw Kai, she walked over to him and enveloped him in a hug. It was brief, but warm, and gave him a sense of comfort, despite the fact he still felt like he was losing his mind.

"I came as fast I could. How's she doing?" Kai's urgent eyes looked to Pema first, and then to Tenzin, who was sitting with Jinora's siblings. The man's face was grave, the kids all looked exhausted and worried.

"She was driving home from the library, a drunk driver smashed into her," Tenzin said heavily. Kai had never thought of the man as old, but it looked like Tenzin had aged 10 years in a matter of minutes. "It could have been much worse. The doctor's informed us a few minutes ago that although she'll need stitches, she will be okay overall."

Kai moaned as he slumped into a chair, covering his face in his hands. "Oh thank God," he breathed, a shudder running through him. Quickly, he wiped his eyes. _Oh thank God. _A heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders, the world seemed much brighter now and it was so much easier to breath. He barely heard Tenzin talking to his wife. ("Pema dear, why don't you take the children home? I'll stay here and call you if anything changes.")

Kai jumped, startled, when a gentle hand was clapped on his shoulder. "Kai," Tenzin said kindly, his tone and the fact he had used his name a surprise to Kai. "Why don't you go home? Get some rest. You have school tomorrow, after all."

A determined look came across Kai's face. "With all due respect sir," Kai stared Tenzin straight in the eye, "there's no way in hell I'm leaving," he said firmly. Tenzin held his gaze, and then finally looked away, and Kai knew he had won the right to stay.

"I'm going to go down to the kitchens to get coffee," Tenzin explained, gesturing with his hands and seeming unsure and awkward about the situation they had found themselves in. "It's going to be a long night. Would you, um, like some...?" he finished lamely.

Kai half-smiled. "Yes Mr. Windson. Two creams, if you will."

Tenzin almost smiled, and then left the room, leaving Kai alone. Mostly, the teenager focused on his breathing. The heavy tightness that had been sitting in his chest was starting to dissipate, but he knew it wouldn't go away fully until he saw Jinora smiling at him again. Groaning, he ran his hands through his hair, fatigue weighing on his eyes.

Tenzin was right: it was going to be a _long _night.

Three coffees later apiece, Kai and Tenzin were allowed into Jinora's room at 3 am in the morning. Jinora was beaming at them, paler than usual but sitting up and looking as beautiful as ever, in Kai's opinion. There were some scratches and scrapes on her face, but other than that she seemed unharmed. Kai kissed her without caring that her father was there, but made sure to keep it brief; he didn't want to push Tenzin's new found acceptance of him.

Jinora's smile grew as she slowly pieced together what had transpired between the her father and her boyfriend. At the very least, something good at come out of her ordeal, and that sort of made it all worth it.

* * *

Jinora had never fully appreciated how protective Kai could be until she returned to school a few weeks after her accident. Her face still bore the marks from it, and whispers and mutterings from the other students followed her down halls, with Kai glaring at everyone in return. Jinora didn't care; she was just happy to be back at school, especially since the school year was almost over: there were only three months left.

In fact, she and Kai had just had their one year anniversary. They had gone out to dinner, but that had been the extent of their celebration. It had also been all either could afford by splitting the bill, and Jinora had a feeling they would have to get used to it. If Korra's stories about college were anything to go on, they would be pretty much broke 85% of the time.

Still, the fact that their parting from one another was coming closer and closer didn't make her feel at ease at all. If anything, it made her feel like her feelings for Kai had intensified. Even on her worst days, even if they had had a petty fight, she still wanted to be around him. Kai could still make her smile, and it was something she was growing to appreciate more and more - no one had ever made her feel that way before.

It was only on a Monday night when Jinora was finishing up homework and listening to a love song did she realize: she was in love with Kai. All the love songs made sense. The thoughts and feelings that had seemed foreign in her romance novels suddenly felt familiar and recognizable. She, Jinora Windson, was in love with Kai Fong. Which then begged the question: did he feel the same way?

The question was starting to drive her crazy, and her thoughts continued to drift to it...

"Babe? Hello-ooh? Earth to Jinora?"

Jinora blinked, her stupor broken. She refocused on Kai, offering him an apologetic smile. "Sorry babe, I zoned out. What were you saying?" They were sitting in the garage of his foster parents', with her situated comfortably in between his legs, her back on his chest. Her fingers were laced lazily through his.

Kai rolled his eyes, exasperated, but there was a tiny smirk playing on his lips. "I was just saying, that as you hate being late for work, you should probably leave now.

Jinora glanced at her watch, eyes widening. "Crap you're right!" She scrambled up onto her feet. Kai got up as well, handing her her bag. "I gotta go babe," she said, rummaging for her keys. "I'll call you later," she pecked him on the cheek, words still tumbling out of her mouth. "I love you."

They both froze. Jinora winced, curling in on herself and peeked at Kai, trying to read his expression but he was hopeless: he had a completely blank look on his face. Then, slowly, a huge grin split his face. He leaned down and kissed her, murmuring, "I love you too," against her lips.

"Now get to work," he told her cheerfully, fully appreciating the dumbstruck expression she had on her face, mouth agape. "I won't have you be tardy on my account."

Jinora spent the rest of the day floating in a little cloud of her own personal happiness, and she and Kai must have texted 'I love you' to each other at least 10 times each that night.

* * *

As much as Kai knew that going to Ba Sing Se University was a great thing for her and her future, he still didn't want her to go. The three months that had remained had flown by all too quickly for Kai's liking, and somehow, it was their last day together until Thanksgiving, almost six months away. Kai was not a happy camper.

"I'm gonna miss you so much," he whispered, hugging her tightly. Her car was loaded up with her stuff (he had even helped her pack) and they didn't have a lot of time to say goodbye if she wanted to beat traffic. (A part of him thought, _Traffic be damned!_)

"Me too," she said. "But we'll call and skype and email each other all the time. We'll make it work, remember?"

Funny, how the tables had turned, and now she was the one reassuring him. "You got it babe." Reluctantly, she went to walk away, the sudden absence of her in his arms so overwhelmingly wrong, and Kai's fingers latched around her wrist. Pausing, perplexed, she turned around to look at him. "Jinora?" His tone was soft, loving.

She smiled tearfully at him. "Hmm?"

"I love you so much."

She gave him one last kiss. "I love you too."

Kai watched her car drive until he couldn't see it anymore, and sulked for the next couple of hours. That evening, however, his sulking came to an abrupt end with Jinora calling him already.

It would be hard, but they would find a way.

* * *

**so how's basingse jin?**

_It's great. I'm loving all of my classes and I've already made so many friends. There's a girl named Opal in my English class and we've already become pretty great friends. I think she and Bolin would make a cute couple so we'll have to get them together somehow, won't we? I do miss Mom and Dad a lot though (Ikki and Meelo, not so much. Kidding!) And you, of course. How's Republic City?_

**it's nice to know you're having such a great time babe. bolin _does _need a girlfriend. we'll have to set them up. uni's fun tho. i love most of my classes (all of the homework, not so much). i miss you like hell jin. thanksgiving can't come soon enough. **

_I know what you mean. The homework can be hard to handle too. And group projects are the **worst. **I'm really excited to come home for Thanksgiving. In fact, I'll try to come home a little earlier if I can. Do you think you'd be able to as well? I hope so. I love you Kai._

**don't even get me started on group projects oh my god. i'll do my best babe, but i can't promise anything, unfortunately. i love you jin.**

* * *

Jinora decided that Reading Week was her favourite week. Or at least, it was the week she was going to get to see Kai again for the first time in a month and a half. For a whole week.

"Kai!" she said excitedly, waving him over. Grinning, Kai made his way through the crowded subway station towards her, scooping her up and in his arms and planting a kiss on her mouth. Jinora smiled into the kiss, but pulled away, flushing. "We're in public Kai," she mumbled. They had never really been a couple for PDA, and she didn't plan on starting anytime soon.

Kai smirked at her, arching an eyebrow. "But the high school library was okay?"

Jinora's blush deepened. "Oh shush you," she poked a finger against his chest. He enveloped her smaller hand in his larger one. "Besides," Jinora mumbled, clearing her throat, "it was usually pretty deserted and you never said anything either!"

"Mm hmm," Kai said, clearly only humouring her. Jinora rolled her eyes, letting out a soft giggle. "So, how's my girlfriend?"

"Ready to spend the week with her boyfriend," Jinora replied. "I missed you so much."

He kissed the top of her head. "I missed you too babe. Wanna go get coffee?"

"Sure. So, how's your arts class going?" she wrapped an arm around him, pulling him closer. The cold wind of February cut their faces as they exited the station and out into the parking lot.

"We have to draw models and stuff," Kai told her, "but don't worry, none of them are nearly as pretty as you."

Jinora flushed. "Good to know," she said lightly. "Now, let's get out of the cold and find the cheapest coffee available."

Kai shivered against her as a rush of cold wind came their way. "Agreed."

* * *

"Can you believe we've been dating for over two years?"

Lying beside him, Jinora found it hard to imagine her life without him. They were sitting alone in her apartment, on the couch, as the credits of _Aladdin _rolled by nearing close to midnight. Jinora had her head laying on his chest, her arm draped over his torso. It was one of their last nights before they went off to university for their third year.

"Sort of," she said gently. "I feel like I've known you - really known for way longer. It's too bad we didn't get to know each other before."

"It's funny, actually, 'cause before our fistfight when we were kids, when I was in grade seven, I had a _huge _crush on you," Kai admitted. Jinora smiled.

"Aw, that's so sweet. If it's any consolation before Ms. Sato paired us together, I always thought you were attractive. Even if I tried my hardest not to be." Jinora rolled onto her side, ignoring the fact that she could roll right on top of him, kiss him, go all the way... As a 19 year old woman, she couldn't deny the thoughts hadn't come before, but never had they been so tantalizing.

Kai seemed to have picked up on her thoughts. "Jinora...? Do - do you want to?"

"Only if you want to," she said quickly. "I don't wanna pressure you into anything."

"I don't wanna pressure you into anything," Kai said hastily. They both sat bolt upright, looking for any sign of the other looking uncomfortable or hesitant, and then, they gradually grinned at each other. "And uh, we should use condoms right?" Kai added.

"Good thinking. I know where they are." She led him through the house, upstairs, to the closet in the hallway and pulled out a small packet. "Mom figured it was better for me to be safe than to tell me to never do it."

When Jinora turned back to him, Kai had a nervous expression on his face. "Are you sure?" he said softly. It was her first time, his, _theirs. _It was a new sign of vulnerability, of trust, but as far as Jinora was concerned, Kai had already seen all of the sides she had kept hidden to other people. He knew her better than she knew herself.

"There's no one I'd rather do it with than you, Kai," she said gently, and he finally met her eyes. "I love you."

It was slow, clumsy, humourous, even, but lying in bed as the sunlight streamed in the next morning, waking up side by side, with his smile greeting her, Jinora thought she wouldn't mind spending every day like this.

* * *

Why Jinora had agreed to a skype this late in the night was beyond her, but she was really regretting it. She was curled up on the couch in her apartment, half asleep, her laptop on the other side of the couch, the volume up far too high. Through bleary eyes she could make out Kai in a similar position, halfway across the continent from her.

"Jinora?" he mumbled.

"What?" she said irritably. If she had the strength, she would've gone over and shut off her computer, but she couldn't find it in her.

"Do you think squirrels have feelings?"

"Shut up babe."

She made a mental note to never schedule a skype that went past 2 am with her boyfriend again. ("'Cause I ran over a squirrel today and I need to know if the family mourned Jin!")

* * *

The candlelight cast a low, lovely glow over their glinting plates. The night was cool, but not uncomfortably so, the waiter leaving them to peruse the menu for their meals.

"I can't believe you got us a reservation at such a fancy place," Jinora said happily. Kai grinned at her, his eyes gleaming over top his menu.

"Only the best for you Jin. Three years is a long time, after all. And only one more year of university," he reminded her. "And then, the rest of our lives. Together, hopefully."

Jinora beamed at him, raising her wine glass. "To us?" she offered.

Kai clinked the rim of his glass against hers. "To us," he agreed, gently kissing her. In a world of change and decisions and opportunities, the one constant had been each other, and they wanted to keep it that way.

* * *

When he was younger, Kai had thought enviously of university graduation. No more rules, no more school. Your life would be yours, and you would get to make all sorts of cool decisions. But now, standing at the threshold of his own, he felt so nervous he thought he might throw up. The only way he made it through the ceremony, as the speakers at Republic City went on and on, was reciting Jinora's speech in her head.

It had been no surprise when she had announced she was the valedictorian of her school, and had practiced her speech a million times with him as her only audience, and he helped it through its earliest stages. Soon, the professor would call his name, and it would be his turn, and then he had his whole life stretching in front of him - oh God...

_In grade eleven, I learned a very valuable lesson. I judged people too harshly and refused to give people second chances, or anything really. I thought I knew exactly who I was, that I was already who I wanted to be. What a lie that was._

"Brian, Andrews," the professor called. Kai's stomach continued to tie itself into knots.

_Little did I know that someone would come into my life, and pretty much redefine everything I thought I knew. I have my English teacher, Ms. Sato, to thank for that, by pairing me up with that partner for a project. I'm not going to elaborate on exactly who this person is, or how much he has done for me, or else I would be standing here all day. I am merely going to stress the importance of having one person go share life with. _

_Your family is important, and to diminish their importance in our lives would be wrong. But family, most of the time, is by blood. A friend is family, by choice. A friend is someone on equal grounds with yourself. A friend, a true friend, is someone who makes you a better person, not because of they themselves, but because they inspire you, and in turn, you inspire them. _

"Claire, Fabbri. David Fairchild."

_He taught me that, most importantly, people can change. The person you were yesterday is not the person you are today. The person you will be tomorrow is not the person you are today. Our lives, like air, is fluid and constantly shifting. Sometimes the air is cold, its bitter chill stinging us. Sometimes the air is warm, pleasant, pushing us forwards._

"Foley, Kate."

_What you need to find, however, whether in romance or friendship, is someone who will brave or appreciate the wind with you. Someone who will wrap a scarf around your face. Someone who will love the person you were, the person you are, and believes in the person you can be._

_And I tell you, now, that once you have found the person, the world will be a better place. It will not always be easy - hardly ever, in fact - but it will be _better. _The world will try to break you, but let it make you instead. Form yourself to be whoever you want to be, and know this person will always love them. _

_I would not be the person I am today without the boy I thought I knew but actually got to know in grade 11, and could not be more thankful. And trust me, when I say, that even if it seems the whole world is against you, everything will be okay. And if you only remember a few words of what I've said here today, it is to cherish your someone._

"Fong, Kai."

Trembling, Kai approached the podium. With shaking hands, he accept his diploma, shook hands. He could see Bolin, Korra and Mako giving him little waves in the crowd. He swallowed hard.

_The lessons that Ms. Sato taught me vicariously is ones I want to teach all of you, and it also makes me realize, that it's no wonder we got an 'A' on that project._

Half-chuckling, Kai smiled for the camera. Jinora always managed to be with him, no matter what. It made him happy to know that she was thinking about him today, as much as he was thinking about her.

* * *

"Kai!" Jinora's voice rang out from the other room of the tiny flat.

"Hmm?" her boyfriend hummed, poking his head into the kitchen. It was a pretty small kitchen, with old white appliances and a little table for two shoved away in the corner. The entire flat was like that really: small, with one bedroom, one kitchen. The best part was the balcony, and living room (already set up with a couch and TV) and the location: nestled in the middle of downtown Republic City, with a park right across from them.

It wasn't perfect by any means, and he and Jinora were still moving in, but it wasn't all that hard to think of the place as home.

"I need your height," Jinora said, gesturing helplessly at the top shelf, just out of her reach. Kai carefully took the plates out of her hands - old ones Pema no longer wanted to use - and placed them on the shelf. He put his head on top of hers, smiling down at her. "Now you're just rubbing it in," she grumbled.

He wove his arms around her waist, placing a kiss on her cheek. "_Maybe,_" he teased. Jinora chuckled softly.

"I think we've done enough for today," she decided, letting out a sigh. Moving in was about as much fun as moving into her college dorm had been, that is to say, no fun at all. The biggest difference, however, was that Kai was here, and he always managed to bring a little fun into her life.

"I was thinking we could watch a movie tonight," he suggested. "_Before _dinner. Or rather, popcorn for dinner. Disney movie marathon, what do you say?"

Jinora rolled her eyes, smiling softly. "I can't believe I ever thought you were a 'bad boy'. You are the biggest freaking dork I've ever met."

"I'm not hearing a no." He grinned. "I'll make the popcorn, babe," he added, winking.

Jinora giggled. "I'll pick the movies. Aladdin first, then Beauty and the Beast? Or Lion King?"

"Gimme a sec." Within a few minutes Kai carried the big bowl of popcorn into their tiny living room. And then, a sudden realization struck him over so hard he almost dropped the bowl. The scene he had walked in on wasn't anything special: Jinora was rummaging in the box labeled _Movies_ (Jinora had organized everything ridiculously well), cars were beeping as they zoomed down the street below, boxes full of their things scattered around the room.

But it made him realize that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with the smart, wonderful, beautiful girl sitting in front of him.

"Kai?" Jinora asked, shaking him out of his stupor. She was holding up the Lion King and the Beauty and the Beast.

"Oh..." Kai swallowed the lump in his throat, blinking rapidly. "Beauty and the Beast," he managed out. The nerves soon faded, as Jinora sat squarely between his legs, the bowl of popcorn in her lap, his arms wrapped around her.

Really, it wasn't such a big realization, because he wouldn't have traded anything in the world, because where he was right now, was exactly where he wanted to be. Now, to make it official, he just had to get a ring.

* * *

Jinora only hoped he wouldn't suspect anything. She had carefully planned for weeks, getting in touch with the owner's and doing loads of research to find just the right one. It was a big responsibility, she knew, but it was something he had always wanted. And now it was finally ready. Any moment now the door of their flat would open...

"Hey babe," Kai chirped, turning away to lock the door before turning back to her. His gaze dropped to the big circular red band on the floor. He picked it up: it was a collar. "Jinora, what's going on?"

"You'll see in a moment, just wait a sec, okay?" She could barely contain her giddiness. "You'll love it." She took a few steps and opened their bedroom door.

And a big, furry puppy bounded out of it. The puppy went straight for Kai, big brown arrow like markings running down its back and head. Its fur was white, its ears the same brown as the arrows. All of its paws were the same white colour, except for its left front paw, covered in a dusty brown. It jumped onto Kai's knees.

"Surprise!" Jinora squealed, beaming and looking at her boyfriend expectantly. There was a tear running down Kai's cheek, and grinning so widely she thought it might split his face, he wiped it away and picked up the dog.

"He's wonderful," Kai gushed. "Er, he is a he, right?"

"He's a he," Jinora confirmed, joining him. Kai placed the puppy on the floor, and he ran happy circles around both of them. "He's yours, well, ours, but mostly yours. You're picking up after him, anyway."

"Gladly, but first this handsome boy needs a name, don't you, don't you Mr. Fluffy pants?" Kai was giving the dog a belly rub. "I think I'll call you Lefty." Jinora snorted. "What's wrong with Lefty?"

"It's a rather, uh, _unconventional _name for a dog, don't you think?" Jinora said, trying not to laugh.

"I think he likes it, _don't _you Lefty? Yeah, Jinora's just a meanie isn't she, yes she is. But she's our meanie, isn't she?" Kai kissed her. "Thank you," he whispered in her ear, another tear sliding down his cheek. "Thank you."

"Anytime Kai," she replied, wiping away his tear with her thumb. "Now, why don't we get Lefty all set up, hmm?" The dog let out a soft little 'woof' in response, which she took for a yes. "Alright, let's get started then."

* * *

To say that Kai was nervous was an understatement. He couldn't help but think of another time he had been sitting in Bolin's old run down truck (now his, as he couldn't get everywhere with his bike) in front of the Windson residence, but at the time he hadn't thought it possible to be more nervous: now he knew that he had been so wrong, five years ago. And before, Jinora had been there to reassure him; now, he was alone.

Trying to calm his jittery nerves by sticking his hands in his pockets as soon as he had rung the doorbell, Kai waited for the door to open. He almost dreaded its opening, if he also wasn't so determined about what he had come here to do.

The young man was taken aback when it was not Pema or Tenzin who had opened the door, but Rohan. The kid was now nearly thirteen years old, spry and gangling. He took after Ikki and Pema most in appearance, but his personality was a lot like Jinora's. "Hey Kai," Rohan greeted. "Come on in." Kai stepped into the house, still trying to reel in his nerves. "What's wrong? You look like you're going to faint."

"I'm just a little nervous, I came to ask your dad a question," Kai explained, silently begging that Rohan wouldn't press him to answer.

It seemed the younger boy had enough tact to not push him, and simply said, "I'll go get dad then." He scampered up the stairs. "Dad!" Kai heard Rohan's voice yell overhead. "Can you come down here for a sec?"

Kai kept himself preoccupied by looking at the pictures on the wall. Most of them were of Jinora and her siblings, there was one of her holding Rohan when he was just a baby, there was a big family portrait with Jinora and her family, plus her aunt and uncle. There were a couple of Tenzin and Pema, most notably one of them on their wedding day. Kai felt a rush of joy at the thought of a similar picture hanging there someday soon, except with him and Jinora there instead...

"Kai?" Tenzin's voice was soft but firm, something Kai had gotten used to. The man, his beard now turning gray, had a slight look of concern on his face. "Rohan said you wanted to ask me a question."

"Yes Mr. Windson." Kai offered him a nervous smile. "It's about Jinora, well, Jinora and I, I... I know I'm probably not the person you expected or wanted for your little girl, and I know that Jinora deserves the best out of her life, and I swear, I will spend every day of my life giving her the best I can. Four years ago, I refused to leave that hospital until I saw Jinora, alive and well. Now, I'm asking that I can spend the rest of my life with her. I love her so much, she is the best thing that's ever happened to me. Mr. Windson, can I marry your daughter?"

Kai had been expecting a soft "Yes," or dreading a "No," but what he hadn't expected was to be pulled into a stiff hug with the older man. It was a brief hug, and Tenzin towered over him, but Kai knew that the hug meant yes, and happiness threatened to spill over in an abundance. Kai's eyes misted over with tears, and he blinked rapidly, smiling up at Tenzin once he had pulled away.

"I admit I once had my reservations about you Kai," Tenzin said, a smile on his face as well. "But if I had to choose a man for my daughter, I would choose you. I know you'll treat her as she deserves. You have my blessing."

"Thank you Mr. Windson," Kai gasped out.

Was it Kai's imagination, or was there a twinkle in Tenzin's eyes. "On one condition, Kai: call me Tenzin from now on."

Kai beamed at him. "Of course, Mr. W- Tenzin."

* * *

This was _not_ how Kai had planned the night to go. It was supposed to be perfect, and had turned into a total disaster. He had made reservations at a wonderful, upscale restaurant. He had decided to drive his bike, as Jinora's love of motorcycle rides had never fully faded. It was supposed to be perfect.

They were not supposed to be stranded on the side of a deserted road, with a broken down bike and waiting for a tow truck to come. Of all the times for his faithful motorcycle to reach its end, why did it have to be _now? _

"They say they'll be here in half an hour," Jinora informed him, clicking her phone shut. She had opted to wear a pretty blue blouse and a long skirt that went down to her knees, yet thankfully was not a hazard when riding the bike. She sighed, fiddling with her bracelet - a gift from Kai the previous Christmas. "This wasn't how I expected the night to go."

"Trust me," Kai said, running a hand through his hair. "I know how you feel." He glanced upwards. "Least the stars are pretty." Deciding he didn't care if his tuxedo got dirty, Kai sat down on the grass. Jinora seemed to have a silent debate with herself, and then joined him on the grass.

"Definitely could be worse," she agreed. "Look over there, there's the North Star. And Ursa Major. You know, this actually reminds me of the garage back at your foster parents' house. We spent hours in there, remember?"

"Had our first kiss there," Kai reminded her, smiling. "You know, I had imagined kissing you so many times before then, I hadn't thought our first kiss would be in that garage."

"Me neither," Jinora replied. The huge grin that had spread across Kai's face caught her by surprise. "Er, Kai...?" He had shifted so he was on one knee.

"Jinora, you're pretty much perfect," he began, the grin never leaving his face. Tears were pooling in Jinora's eyes, as she covered her mouth with her hand, a look of comprehension dawning. "There's just one thing that isn't: your last name. I think we should get it changed. I love you with all my heart, and even if this isn't the best time for this, well, is there ever? We've always been unconventional." He opened the tiny box, revealing an elegant yet simple ring with a decent sized diamond. "The one thing I want more than anything else in the world is to spend the rest of my life with you. So, Jinora Windson, will you marry me?"

There was an agonizing beat of silence in which all of Kai's previously almost nonexistent worries came crashing down on him, when Jinora threw herself at him, peppering his face with kisses. "Yes," she cried, tears trickling down her cheeks. "Yes!" She wiped her eyes as Kai held the ring up to her.

"Read the inscription first," he requested.

It was hard to see in the dark and through her tears, but Jinora manged to read the two words engraved into the ring: _20 Questions. _Then, slowly, Kai slid it onto her finger.

"You're such a dork," she mumbled, still crying tears of happiness. Kai hastily wiped away the tears at his own eyes.

"Ah," he said fondly, "but I'm _your _dork."

* * *

If asked why Jinora felt nervous, standing in a meadow on a warm summer day, she would've given a list of reasons. Some may call her foolish, as some of the reasons were completely illogical, but she didn't care. You see, there were many reasons why she was nervous to marry her fiancé Kai Fong:

#1) It was the biggest decision she had ever made. A decision that would affect the rest of her life. And well, who wouldn't be nervous? But she was also excited, so, so excited. She knew that Kai was the love of her life, her soulmate, and now she was going to get to spend the rest of her life with him. Even if he was the biggest dork she had ever met. But he was _her _dork.

#2) Kai was standing at the end of the aisle, and she clutched her father's arm tightly. Initially, of course, Tenzin hadn't really approved of him - of his motorcycle and piercings and tattoos - but once he had realized Kai loved Jinora as much as he did, Tenzin had declared him worthy of his little girl. That's why Jinora was so happy to have him here, smiling. On Kai's other side, as his best man, was Bolin.

#3) Jinora's siblings, Ikki and Meelo, and now Rohan, were absolutely vicious with the way they prattled off questions. She would have to do her best to keep their new brother-in-law from being eaten alive.

#4) And well, what if something went wrong? Anything? That was the last thing Jinora wanted. She loved him and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

She was gliding down the aisle now, and could spy her crying friends and family in the crowd. She could see Korra and Mako, along with Kai's foster parents as well. Ikki was up in the front already, as her Maid of Honour. Jinora's Gran-Gran had made the trip all the way from up North and was holding a handkerchief up to her eyes. Rohan and Meelo were sitting next to her, holding Lefty by the leash.

And then, everyone else fell away when Jinora's eyes finally fell onto Kai. He had never looked more handsome, his hair still messy, just the way she liked it. She watched him take a sharp breath at the sight of her, both of their eyes misting over with tears. Jinora's veil bathed everything in shimmering waves of white. Her heart was pounding in her chest._  
_

She gazed up at Kai as the priest asked, "Do you take Kai Fong as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?"

And as she thought back of all the times they had shared, and all the times they would have to look forward too, with eyes full of adoration and heart full of love fit to bursting, she answered, "I do."

She watched Kai's lips form the same simple two words - that would bind them together for the rest of their lives - she felt tears spark in her eyes again. "I do," he answered, his voice full of certainty and confidence and affection.

"You may now kiss the bride."

It felt only fitting to Jinora, that as she had kissed him for their first, he would kiss her as their first as a married couple; they had come full circle. Jinora watched as all the young women - Ikki and Korra among them - clustered together, and Jinora tossed her bouquet into the air.

Jinora thought it was only appropriate that it landed in the arms of their old teacher, Ms. Sato.

* * *

**I figured this would be longer than the original, and I hope you all enjoyed this. I can't promise there won't be another bonus chapter - just not for a while, definitely.**

**Thank you guys for all the amazing feedback you've given me, whether by reviewing, favouriting, following, or simply just be enjoying this fic. :) Consider this a thank you present. **

**Love you guys!**


	3. Bonus Chapter: 20 Months

20 Months

* * *

If asked why she was smiling contently at her _husband _Kai Fong, Jinora would've given a list of reasons. Some may call her intoxicated with newlywed bliss, but she didn't care, for you see, there were many reasons:

#1) They were in Omashu, one of the largest cities of the Earth Kingdom, and a place she had always wanted to visit ever since she was a little girl. It was beautiful, with a rich history, and she couldn't have imagined their honeymoon at a better place.

#2) Well, because it was their _honeymoon. _They had just gotten _married _two weeks ago (August 2nd, 2021 – just thinking about the day made her heart swell). He was her _husband. _She was his _wife. _It felt like a dream come true.

#3) For once, there was nothing to worry about. No bills or paperwork or anything. Lefty was being looked after by Ikki, their cozy little flat was waiting for them and they still had another whole two weeks more to enjoy just being in each other's company.

"My darling wife," Kai said, breaking her out of her stupor and causing an involuntary smile to spread across her face. "Is everything alright?"

They were sitting at a restaurant, part of the chain of the one they had gone to for their three-year anniversary of dating. Anniversaries from now on would be _wedding _anniversaries. The beautiful ring on her finger glistened in the candlelight and reflected in her brown eyes, even though the image she was drinking in was Kai sitting across from her, grinning, but now looking slightly concerned.

Jinora reached across the table and laced her fingers through his hand, their wedding rings clinking as they made contact. "I'm just thinking about us," she replied and Kai's concern vanished. He gave her hand a squeeze.

"To us," he proposed, raising his glass of wine. Half-laughing, Jinora raised her own. "Mr. and Mrs. Fong." She touched the rim of her glass to his own before taking a sip, still smiling.

"My husband," she said, enjoying the sound of the word in her mouth, enjoying how Kai looked at her with so much adoration and love. "Would you like to play a game?"

She watched comprehension dawn on his face, and he smirked at her. "What sort of game, my lovely wife?"

Jinora pretended to think, and then raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps 20 Questions?"

"Remind me again how you play?" Kai teased, playing along.

"It's quite simple really," Jinora tried to keep a straight face. "You pick a person, a place or a thing and the other person has to guess by asking questions. For example, I picked a person. He's smart, and brave and handsome and funny. The love of my life. I don't suppose you have any idea who that is, do you?" She leaned in across the table and Kai did the same.

"You're horrible at this game," Kai murmured, pulling a giggle out of her before closing the distance and kissing his wife.

* * *

Part of Kai had never wanted the honeymoon to end, he was surprised by how happy he was to see the door of their apartment as he and Jinora lugged their bags to their flat. Kai dug in his pockets for the key, found it, and opened the door. He was extra surprised when a furry monster knocked him over, missing Jinora's attempts to catch him.

"I missed you too Lefty!" Kai cried as the dog licked his face furiously. Kai thought that the dog's tongue had maybe even licked his mouth: completely _gross. _He was grateful when Lefty got off of him and bounded over to Jinora - who he _didn't _knock over, which Kai thought was a little unfair. Jinora laughed as she gathered the big furball up in her arms.

"Easy boy, calm down," Jinora ran her hands over the dog's fluffy ears, "we missed you too, shh..." She smoothed down his fur and offered a hand to her husband, helping Kai pull himself up. "I think he likes you more than me," Jinora teased.

"Looks like you have some competition then," Kai shot back, grinning. "Now, would please put the dog down?" Jinora did as he asked, giving him a questioning look, and yelped when he picked her up, bridal style, Lefty barking at their heels.

"Kai," she said, laughing, "you already did this the first time we came home." She swatted him on the chest lightly with the back of her hand as they stepped over the threshold. Kai kissed her cheek.

"I know, but I wanted to do it again," Kai answered. "Like I how fall in love with you every day all over again." He lowered her onto the couch, looking at her fondly. Jinora latched her fingers around his wrists, refusing to let go. "Of course I wouldn't mind making love with you either."

Jinora tugged him down. "That's what I was hoping to hear." He started to get on the couch when she looked over his shoulder. "We should probably bring our luggage in first."

"Well that just killed the mood," Kai mumbled, but he followed her out the door.

They ended up back on the couch later that night, asleep, Jinora snuggling into his chest with his arms wrapped around her, both of them exhausted from unpacking, and Lefty cocooned somewhere in their tangled legs.

It was good to be home.

* * *

"So how's work?" Jinora asked, settling down beside him on the couch and handing him a cup of coffee. She was in a dark red sweater, the fierce wind of Autumn rattling their windows. It was unusually cold for September and Jinora found herself wearing sweaters every day to the middle school she taught at; her first year. Besides, she didn't mind the cold too much, as it gave her more of an excuse to cuddle with Kai.

"It's good," Kai said brightly. "Korra's put in a good word for me at her social service centre, so I'll be getting my first case soon hopefully. I'll get to do what Korra did for me." Kai kissed her forehead. "What about you? Are the kids being good?"

"Pretty good," Jinora said lightly. "Although I think every kid would be good compared to you."

"Hey!" But Kai was grinning widely.

"I'm getting used to having so much to mark though, and learning their names. I have over 25 kids in one class and another 25 in the other! It's a lot of reading."

"Make sure you leave some time open for your 25th birthday," Kai requested. "A quarter of your life," he added.

"Look who's talking, Mr. 25 in April," Jinora replied, chuckling. "Just don't do something too extravagant."

"I will make no such promises."

They continued to talk about their day, the little ins and outs, and Jinora found herself content. Even the worst days wouldn't be so bad if this was how they ended.

* * *

Kai watched his wife wring her hands together, her brow furrowing as she glanced at the clock. In only a few hours she would head to the school and have parent-teacher interviews: her first. Kai walked over to her and took her agitated hands in his own, giving them a squeeze.

"You're going to do fine," Kai told her, her eyes flicking up to his face. She gave him a small smile. "The parents are going to love you, the kids already do, and you've marked all of them fairly. There's nothing more you can do, so don't worry."

"What if I'm not fine?" she whispered.

It made Kai think back to a conversation, years ago, the answer to number 13 of a list of 20 Questions. (What is your worst fear?) _I'm scared of not being good enough. _"Then you'll pick yourself up and move on, and I'll be by your side. But no matter what, even if this goes horribly wrong, you are _good enough. _You are always more than enough." He pulled her into a tight hug, and she buried her face in the crook of his neck. "Feel better?" he asked after a few minutes.

Jinora laughed shakily, and nodded against him, pulling away slightly. He brushed a tear away from her beautiful brown eyes. "Yeah," she said, a confident smile spreading across her face. She kissed him briefly. "Thank you Kai."

"For better or for worse," he reminded her.

"For better or for worse," she echoed, smiling.

And she did just fine with the parent-teacher interviews.

* * *

Even inside the flat, Jinora could see the snow whirling furiously past their windows, piling up on their tiny balcony. She was glad she was curled up under the couch with a roaring fire in their fireplace, toasty and warm, unlike Kai, who was out walking Lefty. She eased her book open, setting her bookmark to the side. Finally, it was Christmas break, and she could get some reading done.

Her head snapped towards the door when it banged open. Kai was bundled up in a scarf, coat and hat, snow everywhere. Lefty was an even bigger mess, snow clinging fiercely to his fur. "It is _insane _out there," Kai ripped off his coat, shaking it. Snow floated down onto their mat as he stomped his boots and pulled those off too.

Jinora put her book down, her eyes gleaming with amusement as she walked over to him. "It'll be hard to get the snow off of Lefty's fur. I'll give him a bath." She scooped the fluffy dog into her arms, ignored how the snow was soaking her sweater.

Kai gave her a grateful look. "Thanks babe."

She smiled and kissed his cheek, startled at how cold his skin was. "After Lefty's bath, wanna join me in one?"

"Is that a trick question?" Kai chuckled softly. Jinora giggled and carried Lefty over to the bathroom and turned on the tap, keeping one hand on Lefty's collar so he couldn't run rampant all over the apartment. Once the water had been filled, she dumped Lefty into the tub. Thankfully, Lefty was dog who loved water, and he didn't mind it.

"We're going to your parents' for Christmas dinner, right?" Kai asked, entering the bathroom and leaning in the doorway.

"Mm hmm," Jinora confirmed. "And visiting Korra, Mako, Bolin and your foster parents in the afternoon." She looked up at him. "I wouldn't mind some help with cleaning Lefty off, you know."

Kai flashed her an apologetic grin, kneeling down beside her next to the tub. "'Course Jin. And I'm getting you all to myself on Christmas Eve." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. "How are you so warm?"

"How are so you cold?" she countered, smiling widely. "Speaking of Christmas, what do you want this year?"

"Well I have a dog, and you, so I'm pretty content," Kai teased. "But seriously? Maybe a new motorcycle helmet, because my old one's getting a little worn down." The Christmas of the year they had been engaged for, Jinora had gotten Kai a new motorcycle, as his old one had broken down. "Or maybe tickets to a play. I hear the Ember Island Players are bringing back The Boy In The Iceberg."

"And of course you already know what you're getting me because I'm so easy to buy for?" Jinora guessed.

"Bingo, my darling wife," Kai answered. They both yelped when Lefty shook furiously and sprayed them with water and little bits of snow. "You know," Kai said laughing, picking a piece of snow out of her hair, "maybe I don't need the dog."

Lefty barked joyfully.

* * *

"January's a hard month," Jinora said dully, rubbing her throbbing temple. Kai nodded. The two were lying on the couch, feeling horrible. Korra's New Year's Eve party had gotten a bit too wild last night, although thankfully, mostly due to the fact Jinora could barely hold her liquor and had kept Kai at only two beers, they weren't really hungover. The headache was mostly from the loud, ear-drum destroying music that had been blasted for hours on end. Kai was surprised Korra hadn't gotten a noise complaint.

It was true though, that January was a hard month. The holidays were drawing to a close, Christmas was over, and just when you didn't want any snow there was more snow than ever.

"It doesn't have to be though," Kai pointed out.

"Because life's what you make it, so let's make it rock?" Jinora said, a laugh spilling out of him. Jinora laughed so hard she snorted.

"Did you just quote _Hannah Montana_?" he cried, wiping her eyes, and Jinora smiled guiltily. Maybe she was a little more hungover than he thought. Honestly, it made him fall in love with her a little bit more. "No, but seriously, January can be a fun month. Let's do something fun, right now. Any ideas?"

Kai racked his own brain for ones. Not the movies, they did that often enough, going out for dinner could be pretty expensive and they ordered takeout a decent amount anyway, god when had their lives gotten so boring? They were only 25.

"Bowling?" Jinora suggested.

Kai beamed at her. "Bowling it is," he grabbed her hand. "C'mon."

Bowling, it turned out, was an absolute blast. After driving down to the nearest bowling place and pulling on shoes, they started a riveting competition. Kai didn't usually knock down all of the pins with even two balls, but sometimes got a strike. Jinora, on the other hand, got spares, successfully knocking down all of the pins with two balls every time.

"I am the champion," Jinora bragged, laughing, when she won. Kai laughed along with her.

"I didn't know you were a sore winner," Kai teased. "Looks like I'll have to fix that." He wrapped his arms around her and picked her up, turning around slightly.

"Kai! Put me down!" Jinora managed in between laughs.

"Not until you admit I'm the greatest bowler in the world," he bargained.

"You're the worst husband in the world," she choked out, more laughter bubbling out of her.

"I'm not hearing that I'm the best."

"Alright, alright," Jinora surrendered. "You're the best bowler and husband in the world, happy?" Kai finally set her down, identical grins on their flushed faces.

"Glad you recognize my talent," Kai said, pecking her on the lips.

"Oh I'm recognizing it alright," Jinora said dryly, still smiling.

Maybe January didn't have to be a dull, boring month after all.

* * *

After a day of pink and Valentine's Day cards at school, Jinora wondered what she would come home to, but she certainly hadn't been expecting this. Opening the door to the apartment, she saw pink petals decorating the floor. The lights were dimmed, and candles were set on their table with some red roses laid out. Jinora covered her mouth with her hands, her wide grin still peeking out as Kai strode over to her, looking immensely proud of himself.

"Oh Kai," she said breathlessly. "I - thank you."

Kai gave her that lopsided grin she loved so much. "I figured our first Valentine's Day as a couple should be special." He offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

"Let me get your surprise first," Jinora requested. She bolted to their bedroom and came back with some papers in her hand, old and worn. Then, she looped her arm through his. "Lead the way."

Kai led her over to the beautifully decorated table, pulling her chair out of her. Jinora made a big show of sitting down, then picked up her roses and took a whiff. "Thank you," she repeated, looking at him in adoration. Kai poured them both glasses of wine.

"The hardest part was getting Lefty a big enough treat so he wouldn't eat the petals," Kai admitted fondly, electing laugh. "So, what's this 'surprise'?"

"I had to look through a lot of boxes for it, Korra helped, but I finally found it," Jinora flourished the piece of paper and began to read aloud. "_20 Questions Assignment." _She turned the paper over to him. "I found our assignments."

Kai's face broke into a wide grin. "Oh my God. Okay, okay, question number one, what is your full name?"

"Jinora Agatha Fong," Jinora said, loving her new surname. His surname. Theirs, now.

"And if I ever told anyone that you would've killed me," Kai reminded her. They both laughed. "Okay, question two, birthday? You're September 16th."

"And you're April 6th," Jinora answered. They went down the lists, seeing how some of their answers had stayed the same, and how some had changed. Their favourite movie was still Aladdin, their favourite colours were still green and brown, but now their favourite memory was now their wedding day. Their fears had changed to losing each other.

It made Jinora think on much she had changed from when she was seventeen - sure of who she was, oblivious to what lay ahead of her - and how much happier she was now. Kai, above everyone else, had helped her grow. The words thank you didn't seem big enough.

But she knew, as their gazes locked and a gentle smile spread across his face, that he understood her perfectly.

* * *

"Happy seven year anniversary," Kai hummed in her ear. Jinora rolled over in bed to face him, smiling. The sunlight hitting her eyes was painfully bright, shining around Kai's head as if he were an angel. Jinora wouldn't be surprised if he was one.

"Happy seven year anniversary," Jinora mumbled back. Seven years today they had kissed in his parents' garage for the first time. The memory made her smile grow. She reached over and combed his hand through his hair; Kai closed his eyes in pleasure.

She could barely believe it had been seven years. It felt much too short a time, and even though she had spent many years barely knowing Kai, it was hard to imagine her life without him in it.

"I love you," she murmured. She had said it hundreds of times, sometimes meaningfully, sometimes absentmindedly, but always, _always, _knowing it to be completely true with every fibre of her being.

"I love you too," Kai replied. He had said it hundreds of times too, but she knew she would never, _ever _get tired of hearing it. 'I love you' were the sweetest words on the planet, her favourite words.

She snuggled closer to him and he held her tighter. For better or for worse, if she could wake up every day like this, life could never be that bad.

* * *

Kai knew Jinora had gotten out of bed, had felt the bed creak and move as her weight shifted and left, and then had fallen back asleep. He figured she was getting up early, maybe to do some grading. It was the weekend, at least, but he knew a teacher's work was never truly done. God knew his work was never done. Kai had recently gotten signed onto the same place Korra worked at, and he was really enjoying it, but he was worried. He had been given a kid to look after - Johnathan DeBree, and the kid wasn't making it easy. Before coming into Kai's care he had been in three Foster homes in as many months.

But those unpleasant thoughts vanished when Jinora came into the bedroom, carrying a tray with a good-smelling breakfast on it: a stack of pancakes over spilling with butter and maple syrup, some strips of bacon and a glass of orange juice. "Happy 26th birthday, my wonderful husband," she said merrily.

Kai sat up in bed and she carefully handed the tray over to him. "Thank you," he pecked her on the cheek, "my wonderful wife." It still managed to a blush rise to her cheeks, even after all these years. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

"Every day," she said, leaning in and smiling into the kiss.

"Still not enough."

* * *

Pursing her lips, Jinora watched her husband run his hand through his hair, an exasperated sigh escaping from his lips as he poured over paperwork. She took the hang out of his hair and laced her fingers through it, pressing the back of his hand gently to her lips. "You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, just..." Kai sighed again. "My charge, Johnathan, he's not making it easy. I have no idea how Korra managed with me, as I was ten times worse." He laughed slightly.

"Ask Korra for some advice then," Jinora suggested, giving his hand a squeeze. Kai nodded, taking her suggestion into account. "Although, if there's anything I can do to help?"

Kai offered a small smile. "You already have."

Jinora kissed the top of his hair. "I'll call you when it's time for dinner, your favourite tonight." Jinora went to leave, her fingers sliding out of his when he tightened his grip, not letting go. Not for the first time, Jinora marveled at how perfectly their fingers fit together, like a puzzle that had found its missing pieces. She wondered if Kai was thinking along the same lines.

"Thanks Jinora," he said gently.

She smiled, startled by the tears forming in her eyes. "Anytime."

* * *

Kai could barely believe that June had already arrived. He had parked his car in the parking lot of Jinora's school, leaning against the metal as kids ran out, glad to finally be on summer vacation. Kai could easily say the same. It would be nice to know that he and Jinora would have more time for each other, assuming that they didn't get pulled into too many wedding planning duties for Bolin and Opal. The two were getting married next month, and he knew that Jinora felt some pride at that fact, as she and Kai had been the ones to introduce Bolin and Opal to each other.

"There you are!" Kai grinned was Jinora walked towards him with an expression of mild surprise.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, leaning up to give him a quick kiss. Kai was sure she was keeping it brief so as not to scar the children for life.

"Got off work early, figured I'd come to celebrate with you," Kai wrapped an arm around her waist. "You know, because I'm the best husband in the world, guilty as charged."

Jinora rolled her eyes, smiling. "Shush you."

"And since this is the beginning of your vacation, milkshakes from Dairy Queen, no ifs, ands or buts," he said sternly.

Jinora smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Guess I can't argue with that logic, not that I want to."

Kai leaned down and nuzzled his face in her neck, only to feel her pushing him away. "Not in front of the kids Kai," she said quietly, blushing furiously.

Kai pulled away, pouting. "We're just showing them what true love looks like," he said, but settled with just holding her hand.

Until that night of course, but then Jinora had no issues with it.

* * *

The wedding was beautiful - not as beautiful as theirs, Jinora knew no wedding would ever be as beautiful as theirs - but still beautiful. Opal was stunning, Bolin was sobbing and Jinora even shed a tear or two. Mako had been the Best Man, Korra the Maid of Honour with Jinora's old teacher Asami Sato as a bride's maid (small world). Opal's family, the BeiFongs, had come too. Jinora hadn't realized just how many of them there were, and still couldn't tell the twins Wing and Wei apart.

After a few glasses of champagne, and Kai pulling her onto the dance floor, Jinora forgot all about those things. Kai's hand was warm on her waist, the hall was warm, the music soft and the lights glimmered in Kai's eyes. Bolin and Opal were waltzing nearby, as were Korra and Asami. "I wouldn't be surprised if they got married soon too," Kai said, his voice smooth and low.

It made Jinora think back to their middle school days, when Kai's voice had been all over the place, cracking and spiking. Back to before their legendary fistfight, before she had decided she had hated him, before his initial crush on her had faded. And then had come back, stronger than ever, only this time it had been mutual.

Jinora smiled. "You think so?"

Kai nodded, their feet stepping in time with the music. "They're both getting up there, and I've never seen Korra look so happy. They've been dating for a year, maybe, but they've been friends for a long time."

"A little like us," Jinora noted.

"Well soulmates come in different ways," Kai said, and she blushed despite herself. Her belief in soulmates had never died, only intensified after being with Kai for so long, but they had never directly addressed it.

"I suppose they do," Jinora leaned in for a kiss.

* * *

Kai knew Jinora loved romantic gestures, and although he wasn't the most romantic person naturally, he had come a long way. But he was sure that this would be perfect. He glanced down at the paper clutched tightly in his hands just to make sure all the dates and notes he had written down were correct. (Jinora was always better with numbers than he was.)

Quietly, he crept into the bedroom, shooting a meaningful look over his shoulder at Lefty to make sure the dog stayed, and then closed the door behind him. "Hello beautiful," he said softly, taking a seat on his side of the bed. Jinora rolled over with a content smile on her happy.

"One year anniversary of being married," she sighed happily. Kai brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

"It is," he said, "but," he flourished the paper, putting on a mock-stern look, "you've forgotten some pretty important anniversaries too." A look of confusion came across her face. "Let's start at the very beginning, shall we? September 4th, 2005, was the day we first met. December 19th, 2006, you were the angel in the Christmas play and I thought you looked pretty."

Jinora started to smile, but Kai was far from done.

"February 14th, 2007, you gave Valentine's Day cards to every kid in the class but I thought mine was special because you made the smiley face inside extra big." Tears were starting to fill her eyes. "May 3rd, 2008, you helped me make a goal in a game of soccer on the playground and it made my day. November 2nd, 2009, I realized I had a humongous crush on you. November 22nd, 2009, you smiled at me and I smiled back like a complete idiot."

"I thought it was endearing," Jinora laughed, wiping a tear from her cheek.

"March 8th, 2009 our dreaded fistfight happened," Kai's voice grew ridiculously ominous, pulling another laugh out of her. "And we decided we hated each other. October 20th, 2012, Lydia Burnsby said I was pretty cute for a criminal, and you made her look like an idiot with a classic witty comment of yours, _Oh yeah, look at that evil gleam, he's a diabolical mastermind_."

Jinora murmured, "I can't believe you remembered that."

"October 5th, 2013," Kai pressed on, "I technically punched Aaron Frank in the face for you when he kept harassing you. I convinced myself it was because even if I didn't like you, I didn't like him a lot more."

"There's only one more I'm afraid," Kai continued, "I'm sure you know the rest of our anniversaries, you might know this one. September 6th, 2014, Ms. Sato assigned us as partners."

Jinora sat up in bed, tears streaming down her cheeks with a huge grin on her face, and she cupped Kai's face in her hands, pressing her forehead against his, their noses lining up. Kai threaded his fingers through her hair, the stubble on his chin tickling her brow when he moved to kiss her forehead, brushing tears away with his thumb.

"I - I don't have the words," Jinora managed out, her voice breaking with a quiet laugh of disbelief.

"We've never needed words," he chuckled. "I'm just glad these are happy tears."

They flopped back side by side in bed, laying on the sheets, Jinora still smiling tearfully at him, and he grinned back at his beautiful wife. Kai watched in mild confusion when Jinora took the piece of paper from his hand, grabbed a pen from the bedside table where her journal lay, and left the room, coming back a few moments later with the calendar from the kitchen in her hand.

She uncapped the pen. "Let's start writing down these anniversaries so I don't forget, hmm?"

Kai's smile softened. "Good idea."

* * *

"Wait, so you're seriously telling me that you've _never _read Harry Potter?" Jinora stared at her husband in shock. She had been rereading the first Harry Potter book, a side effect of September, and Kai had offhandedly said he'd never read the books. How had she not realized Kai had never read the books?

"Um, no?" Kai said.

"Oh my God, we have to fix that," Jinora said. She shoved the first book at him. "You're reading the first one at least, giving it a shot. If you don't like it, I won't push it."

Kai raised an eyebrow, giving her a skeptical look. "Jinora-"

"I'll consider it a birthday present," she cut him off. "Please? For me?"

Kai sighed. "Fine. But only the first book, okay?" She nodded, looking far too pleased with herself.

It was fun knowing exactly what Kai was getting himself into - witches and wizards and lovable characters and amazing plot twists and heartbreaking deaths. She let Kai gripe and groan (he even cried in the fifth book when a character died) and couldn't help but grin. And she knew by hearing the dull thud when he closed the final book that he was breaking inside - she had gone through it too.

"That's it?" Kai said blankly in disbelief.

"That's it," Jinora confirmed. "Tomorrow, we start the movies..." She glanced over at him. "Kai, are you _crying_?"

Kai was hastily wiping his eyes. "No," he denied. "Well, yes, but... I'm just so happy that Harry got a happy ending." Jinora wasn't surprised Kai had seen a lot of himself in Harry; both orphans, both with green eyes even, had a troubled childhood, they were both impulsive. Jinora had long ago decided that Kai would be in Gryffindor, Harry's House at Hogwarts, the House of the brave. "I wish I had the books growing up, I think it," he sniffled, "I think they really would've helped me turn things around when life was getting rough."

He smiled tearfully at her. "You saved me, you know."

"Kai," Jinora began.

"You did," Kai said, his voice full of conviction. "I had some idea of where I wanted to go, but... You gave me direction, you gave me someone I could tell absolutely anything to. There are so many things I never would have done if I didn't have you. _You make me so happy._"

"I'm just glad these are happy tears," Jinora said, stealing his line, and it brought a soft chuckle out of him. "You've done as much for me as I have for you, maybe more."

"Not possible."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Maybe."

Jinora laughed. "Are you okay though?"

Kai's nose bumped into her own, another bubbly laugh spilling out of her. "Better than okay. Thank you." He glanced down at _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. _"Thank you, Harry. So, movies tomorrow?"

"Movies tomorrow," she agreed.

* * *

"Kai, we're going to be late!"

"I'm coming, I just can't get these ears to stay-"

Jinora rolled her eyes and reentered their bedroom, fighting back a smile at the sight of her husband struggling to keep his Mickey Mouse ears on top of his head. She had gotten her Minnie Mouse ears on with relative ease. "Here," she took the costume piece out of his hands, "let me try." She did a little rearranging and then put the ears on his head.

"Of course you would get it on the first try," Kai grumbled as she stepped back to admire her work.

"Of course," she agreed, pecking his cheek. "Now, we better get on the road or we're going to be late for the party."

Kai grabbed his coat and tossed her her coat before he pulled on his own. "Korra gets way too into Halloween," but he was smiling. "So, Minnie Mouse, care to make a wager?"

A mischevious glint came into Jinora's eyes. "What sort of wager Mr. Mouse?"

"Ten bucks says Korra proposes to Asami tonight," he said cheerfully.

"Ten bucks says Korra announces that they're already engaged tonight," Jinora bargained. "Shake on it?" She stuck out her hand and Kai shook it, and then they set off for the party.

(Jinora won the bet.)

* * *

"Is that the class photo?" Kai asked, peering over at her shoulder. Kai could spy his charge, Johnathan, among the other kids, smiling. By some stroke of luck, Johnathan had ended up in Jinora's seventh grade English class this year. Kai had already seen the improvement in Johnathan's behavior.

"Got a copy early," Jinora said, following his line of vision, her lips tugging upwards. "Johnathan's doing really well, one of my best students. Funnily enough, him and a girl named Kate Gya reminds me a lot of us at that age."

Kai looked at her in surprise. "Really?"

"Oh yeah, it's clear John has a huge crush on her," Jinora said, grinning. "I wonder if they'll turn out like us?"

Kai rested his head on her shoulder. "If they're lucky." Jinora made a soft noise of agreement. "But what do you think, does little ol' Johnny have a shot with Kate?"

Jinora shrugged. "I don't know, maybe. They're young, they still have a lot of growing up to do."

"We still have a lot of growing up to do," Kai added.

"You do," Jinora corrected. Kai pretended to look hurt, but Jinora had already looked back down at the photo, finding Johnathan and Kate. "As for those two kids, I hope they make it."

He nuzzled his face into her neck. "I do too."

* * *

Jinora sighed as she looked at the dirty clothes Kai had strewn on the floor of their bedroom. Most of the time, she'd pick them up, grumble, make a small mention to Kai, and watch him never change, but her frustration had reached its peak. She stomped over to the living room where Kai was watching TV on the couch.

"Kai," she snapped, "you need to do something about these clothes, I'm not going to keep cleaning up after you!"

Kai stared at her, narrowing his eyes. "I... never ask you to clean up after me...?"

"That's not the point," she tossed the clothes at him. Kai took a sock off his face, frowning. "The point is I've told you over and over to clean up your clothes and you _never _listen!"

"I'd get to it if you didn't do it first," Kai retorted. "You don't need to nag me, I hate it when you nag me."

"I wouldn't have to nag you if you just did what you needed to do!" Jinora felt angry tears spark in her eyes. She hated fighting with Kai, it didn't happen often, it had increased once they had started living with each other. Most of their living-with-each-other-issues had been dealt with, there were still bad habits that got under each other's skin, like when Jinora had a dozen books stacked on their shared bedside table.

Kai's features softened. "Hey Jin, don't cry, let's..." He thought for a moment, and Jinora already felt her anger fading. "Let's try an experiment, okay? It takes three weeks to form a habit right? So I'll start trying to not leave my clothes leaving around, and if I do, you just leave them for me, okay? I'll start trying harder, I'm sorry."

Jinora sniffled. "Okay," she took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I lost my temper with you. Your experiment is a good idea, let's try it."

"Okay. I'll start with these clothes right now," Kai scooped up his dirty socks and shirts into his arms. "Let's try not to have another dirty clothes snowball-esque fight."

Jinora half-smiled. "Agreed."

* * *

"Let's get matching tattoos."

Kai looked over at Jinora, who had her computer on her lap, shocked. He knew she had always wanted a tattoo, still wanted one, but this announcement was pretty unexpected, a side effect of January. He had been thinking about getting another tattoo. He had a tattoo of three small white birds, silhouettes, flying across his shoulder blades. "Where's this coming from?"

"Honestly, I have no idea, but I do have a good idea for what we would get," Jinora said. Kai perked up. "This is what I was thinking." She moved the laptop closer to him, showing a picture of a separated yin and yang symbol. "I'd get yin, the black one, and you'd get yang."

"Where would we get them?" Kai was all for it, but he also wanted to see how far Jinora had thought this through. She was always thoughtful, always sweet.

"On our backs, over our hearts, since I can't get it on my chest, obviously," Jinora winced, "_way _too painful."

"Yeah," Kai wrapped an arm around her shoulders, kissing the side of her head. "Let's do it. This weekend?" Jinora nodded. "This weekend it is then."

And the night after they got their tattoos, carefully lifting each other's shirts and seeing the pink, tender skin, Jinora's fingers gently brushing over his, his fingers brushing over hers, they knew they were two halves of a whole: this had just made it official.

* * *

Jinora liked watching Kai sleep, especially when she couldn't manage to doze off herself; this was one of those times. It was only ever for a few minutes, and it was rare to see him look so peaceful. His windswept hair was ever curlier, a few strands falling over his face. Jinora gently brushed the hair out of his hair, a loving smile spreading across her face.

His lips were parted, and every so often a little snuffle would escape in the most adorable way possible. His breathing was slow, a steady, deep sound, constant, comforting, like a heartbeat.

Jinora settled down to sleep herself, moving carefully so as to not disturb him, even as she snuggled closer to him so she could hear his actual heartbeat. The low beating was like a lullaby, and she fell asleep in no time.

* * *

Kai had been excited to come to Jinora's workplace as classes were winding to a close with the impending March Break looming ahead. Or, at the very least, he wanted to come pick her up from school. He was waiting for her, leaning against his car again when he spotted Johnathan, who hadn't seen him yet, talking to a girl. Kate Gya, he thought.

Kate did remind him a little of Jinora, they both had brown hair, and Kate had a thick book in her hands, clearly oblivious to Johnathan's crush on her (the boy was blushing and stammering up a storm). Then the two kids saw Jinora walking towards him and ran up to their teacher. "Mrs. Fong, is he your husband?" Kate asked, looking at Kai.

Jinora smiled at Kate before looking at Kai. "Yes he is Kate. Kai, this is Kate, and you already know Johnathan." Johnathan offered Kai a grin, which he returned.

"Jinora's told me you've both been very good," Kai praised, exchanging a happy, knowing look with his wife. "You two have fun on your vacation."

"You too Mr. Fong," Kate said. She grabbed Johnathan's hand, the boy blushing furiously. "Come on Johnny, we have to go find our parents. Bye Mr. Fong, bye Mrs. Fong." The two kids ran off.

Kai watched them go, a longing building up inside of him, barely hearing Jinora chuckling beside him. "They're off to a better start than us," Jinora remarked. Kai remained silent. "Kai?"

He gazed at her the same way he had on their wedding day, eyes full of adoration and affection. "Jinora... what do you think about kids?"

Jinora's face was blank, but then she smiled widely at him. "I think it's a great idea. Do you want...?"

Kai's smile grew. They had talked about kids before they got married, decided that they both wanted them, one day. "Let's make a baby," he said quietly, wrapping his arms around her.

"Let's make a baby," she repeated.

So they did.

* * *

If asked why she was smiling contently at her husband Kai Fong, Jinora would've given a list of reasons. Some may call her emotional with what had just happened, but she didn't care, for you see, there were many reasons:

#1) They were in a hospital, and while that usually wasn't a cause for celebration, this time it was. After months of morning sickness and nerves and a day of pushing and screaming, it was over. Or was it just beginning?

#2) Well, because one of the most beautiful things in their lives had happened. Today was December 19th, 2022 - just thinking about the day made her heart swell. It was the day she had played an angel, and he had thought she was pretty. Now it was the day their true angel was born. He was a father. She was a mother. It felt like a dream come true.

#3) For once, there was no worries coming to mind. No nerves or irrational fears. The baby - _their _baby was healthy, beautiful, a gift.

"She's perfect," Kai said, breaking her out of her stupor, and causing Jinora to turn her gaze to their daughter. "She's..." Words failed him.

"Ours," Jinora finished.

She could see the pieces of her and Kai in their child. Their daughter had Kai's skin, his ears, a puff of his curly hair, but it was her colour. She had her mother's snub nose, and her mother's brown eyes. Her face was round and fresh, her tiny chest rising and falling, skin smooth the touch. She was perfect; she was theirs. Jinora wanted to capture this image forever.

Jinora made a quiet hum of agreement. "The name. We settled on the name, right?" she asked, not tearing her eyes away from her daughter.

"Kotta," Kai said, "for Korra, godmother, and your grandmother, of course. Middle name is for Asami, godmother. Kotta Asami Fong." Kai reached for her hand and laced his fingers through his hand, their wedding rings clinking as they made contact, rubbing soothing circles on her back with the other hand, gently rubbing one half of a matching tattoo. She gave his hand a squeeze.

"To us," she murmured. "A new family."

Kai kissed her forehead. "My wife, would you like to play a game?"

"What sort of game?"

"20 Questions?" Jinora nodded, a knowing look coming into her eyes. "I picked a person, two actually, but you know I've always had a certain disregard for the rules. One's the love of my life and the other already has me wrapped around her tiny finger, both girls, and they both have the most beautiful eyes in the world. Any ideas on who it is?"

Jinora's eyes filled with happy tears. "You're horrible at this game."

Kai kissed her briefly. "But I'm wonderful at loving you." That, Jinora could agree on.

_Is everything alright? _

She thought that everyone knew her answer as they entered the room, led by Korra and Asami Sato: everything had never been more perfect.

* * *

**I cried during the last part and this was 7,500 words of fluff and I regret absolutely nothing. Enjoy.**


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